


To Make A Home

by AValorousChoice



Series: Home [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Car Accidents, Eating Disorders, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Swearing, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2019-10-08 17:06:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 49,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17390285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AValorousChoice/pseuds/AValorousChoice
Summary: Seven years ago, Roman Prince's life changed for the better when he met Virgil, the shy, awkward, recent adoptee of Patton and Logan Sanders.Now, the two are teenagers and inseparable...at least that's what Roman thought. But when he returns from a family vacation, he finds that Virgil has a new little brother to take care of and a new group of friends to hang out with; clearly he doesn't need a silly boy who dances ballet and pretends to be a prince to be his friend anymore...right?Being a teenager is hard enough without everyone who was supposed to love you leaving you behind. Will Roman be able to make a home out of whatever, and whoever, is left?****PLEASE Read To Build A Home first or none of this will make any sense****





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome back! I am assuming you are here after reading my other story, To Build A Home...If not, I would HIGHLY suggest you do...You can try and read this on its own but it really won't make much sense...especially with my OC's....
> 
> If you have read TBAH then here is a little age reminder.. Roman is seventeen, Virgil is sixteen, Summer is twelve and Thomas is four. Enjoy!

* * *

 

Roman had been restless the entire flight home, but now that they were beginning their descent, he was _especially_ antsy. His father told him to quit his fidgeting, but Roman couldn’t help it. England had been great, really it had, but Roman missed sleeping in his own bed and eating Henry’s pancakes on weekends and going to ballet practice. Most of all though, Roman missed Virgil.

It had been three very long months since he had last seen his best friend. He had been forced to attend his aunt’s wedding with his family and while that hadn’t been terrible, he was rather resentful that it had eaten up almost all of his summer vacation.

Once his cousin Jimmy had served his punishment for what he had done to Logan, Roman’s Aunt Joyce had immediately divorced her husband Anthony and moved overseas with her two sons. Roman had never really gotten along with his cousins and he had thought that his aunt hated him, so he had been quite surprised when the wedding invitations had arrived in the mail and there had been one for him also.

Now, if it had been solely up to Roman then he wouldn’t have gone; he could think of nothing worse than having to make small talk with his snobbish relatives, but his parents had insisted. His father had had the genius idea to combine both the wedding trip and family time, so for the entirety of his school holidays, he had been sightseeing, touring and attending parties in England.

Okay, so maybe things weren’t _that_ bad, but it had felt like it to Roman. He had been forced to spend time with his relatives, who were practically a bunch of strangers, while who he considered his _real_ family stayed behind in America.

He had barely had any access to his phone or the internet, which had made contact limited, and he hadn’t even dared ask if he could bring a friend along with him. It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford it, but he had been sure Andrew and Virgil would have killed each other on sight.

Though to his credit, Andrew had surprised him. Away from the cruel and demanding control of their father, Jimmy and Andrew had turned out to be quite nice people. Aunt Joyce had finally learnt how to laugh, and her new husband was...well, lovely.

So, no, it hadn’t been all bad...but when Roman started to see Patton in every smile, Summer in every flower, and Virgil in basically everything, that’s how he had figured out that he was  desperate to go home.

And now he finally was! Only mere minutes from touching down and being back where he belonged. There were no words to express his excitement and his leg started to bounce up and down in his eagerness.

_Why did planes have to be so damn slow?_

“Roman, I told you to sit still! You’re not five for God’s sake.”

“Sorry,” Roman replied.

Yet even his dad’s scolding couldn’t put a damper on his good mood, and when they finally touched the ground, Roman had to control himself in order to not turn into one of those people who applauds when a plane lands.

The minute they passed through security and picked up their luggage, Roman’s father pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ve got to ring your grandmother,” he told Roman. “Best to check up on her.”

Roman didn’t reply to that. He was still bitter about the fact that his grandmother hadn’t been invited on their trip because, according to Roman’s parents, she was too old. She had moved into a assisted living facility the year before last, and it was almost as if everybody but Roman had forgotten she existed. It drove him crazy that nobody seemed to care about her, so he bit his tongue whenever somebody mentioned her.

He turned his attention to his mother while his dad made the phone call. “How are we getting home?” He asked. “Are we going by train?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mandy snorted. “I’ve arranged for Nico to come and get us.”

_Oh, of course. Nico._

Roman didn’t want Nico to pick them up; he would have given anything to go home by train or taxi or literally any other way. Don’t get it wrong, Nico was not a bad guy, nor was he a bad driver; obviously a chauffeur would have to some skill.

That was the issue though...what kind of seventeen-year-old boy who lived in a normal suburban town had a chauffeur? Or a butler? Or maids? Or their own personal chef?

Not very many.

To put it simply, Roman’s parents were loaded with cash, and Roman believed that they had so much of it that they didn’t know what to do with it. This had lead them to hire a whole bunch of workers that they really didn’t need in their house. Roman had people at his every beck and call and he absolutely _hated_ it.

The truth was Roman felt humiliated. He felt bad for the workers, and he felt embarrassed by his parents and his home. It was so bad that Roman had never even let Virgil visit his house, he didn’t need his friend to see the life he had.

Yes, their last name was Prince, but that didn’t mean they were actual royalty.

Plus, he and his parents were away from home so much that Roman couldn’t help but wonder what the staff did when they weren’t there. His mother and father were nearly always away on business trips, and whenever they were gone Roman would spend most of his time with the Sanders family or with Henry and Summer. There was nothing he hated more than being in a house that was so big he could practically walk for miles and not see another living soul, even if it was filled with people.

 

* * *

 

After locating Nico and heading out to the car, Roman’s parents immediately pulled out their multiple electronic devices and set about checking work emails and text messages.

The family time had clearly ended and it was all returning to normal.

While his mother and father climbed into the limousine, Roman went around towards the back to help Nico load the suitcases. “You don’t need to do that, young sir,” Nico said.

“It’s our stuff,” Roman replied. “The least I can do is help.”

“It’s not necessary,” Nico insisted, but he let Roman help with the rest of the bags anyway. “How was your trip?”

“It was okay,” Roman said. “It’s good to be back though.”

“I would think so,” Nico said.

“What did you and others do while we were gone?” Roman asked.

“We went to spend time with our families. Let me get that for you,” Nico added, rushing to open Roman’s car door.

“You don’t have to,” Roman said, embarrassed.

“It’s my job, sir,” Nico smiled and Roman slid into the vehicle, sitting across from his parents.

“How’s Gran?” He asked his father.

“Hm? Oh, she’s fine,” Rohan said, barely glancing up from the laptop he had already retrieved from his bag. “Ugh, how many times do I have to tell them?” he muttered to himself.

_Good talk, Dad._

Roman fished his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it, scrolling through his contacts until he came across Henry’s name. He knew that Henry wouldn’t ignore him, at least.

**To: Henry**

_Finally back home! We’re leaving the airport now. I’m going to see the Sanders tonight, but maybe I can come over for dinner tomorrow? We could have pancakes!_

He didn’t have to wait long for a reply.

**From: Henry**

_Pancakes for dinner is hardly healthy, Roman, but if it’s what you want then I suppose so. Welcome back. Virgil will be glad you’ve returned, he’s been moping around nonstop without you._

Roman grinned to himself, glad to know that he had obviously been missed.

**To: Henry**

_That’s just Virgil’s personality. Will Megan be there tomorrow?_

**From: Henry**

_I don’t know. Would you like me to ask her over?_

**To: Henry**

_Yes, and tell her to bring Cosmo! He and Jack can play together!_

That was another reason to be excited about coming home, he would get to see his dog Jack. The Sanders family had been kind enough to dogsit Jack for Roman since he hadn’t been allowed to go, and Roman was pretty eager to see him again.

“Who are you texting?”

Roman looked over at his dad who was watching him curiously, finally paying attention. “Henry.”

“Henry? Who’s-Oh! You mean the doctor? You still talk to him?” Rohan scoffed.

Why wouldn’t he? Henry was family!

“Don’t you?” Roman said.

“No need,” Rohan shrugged, returning to his laptop. “He served his purpose, didn’t he?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Roman asked.

“Well, he was a good babysitter,” Rohan said, “but you’re old enough to take care of yourself now. So why would we need him around?”

“That’s a horrible way to treat somebody,” Roman frowned. “What are you going to do with me when I’ve served my purpose?”

“Don’t be dramatic, Roman,” his father sighed. “You don’t have a purpose, you’re fine.”

Roman failed to see how that made it better but he swallowed his retort. He had been dealing with his parents all his life and he knew that there really was no winning with them. If he spoke up against them, it would just result in a useless argument and he didn’t have the energy for it.

He leaned back against his seat. “I’m going to Virgil’s tonight, okay?”

“Uh-huh,” Mandy mumbled, tapping away at her phone.

“Did you even hear me?” Roman said.

“Yeah, you’re going to Virgin’s house,” she answered.

Roman wanted to scream. They had known of Virgil for seven years, he had been Roman’s best friend since they were kids, and his parents still couldn’t get Virgil’s name right?

It was so evident to Roman that they just didn’t care, probably because they had no _purpose_ for Virgil.

Roman closed his eyes, willing himself not to scream. He would only have to survive a few hours and then he’d be with Virgil and the others, his real family, and that thought brought a smile to Roman’s face.

Boy, there really was no place like home.

 

* * *

 

“Mr. Prince, how was your trip?”

Roman groaned. “Samuel, I’ve told you a hundred times to just call me Roman,” he said as the butler removed his jacket for him, “and I can do that myself.”

“I am sure you can, Mr. Prince,” Samuel smiled, almost cheekily.

Roman liked Samuel, he liked all the workers if he were honest, they had been in his life since he was a child, most of them had a more active role in his life than his own parents.

“The trip was fine, thanks,” Roman replied. “I’m going to go take a shower, and I can lay my own clothes out, thank you!”

“We have servants for a reason, Roman,” Mandy chided.

“And I have working body parts as well as the ability to do things for myself, Mom,” Roman said sweetly before running upstairs to take a shower.

“Don’t run!” She called after him, but he didn’t listen.

The sooner he got out of here, the better.

He showered, dressed and then grabbed his wallet and his phone. He never needed to take much when he was going to Virgil’s house; he was at his friend’s place so much that he had spare clothes and a phone charger there.

“Shall I drive you, Sir?” Nico asked as they passed each other on the stairs.

“No, thanks, I’ll drive myself,” Roman said. He had his own car and license, and he was perfectly happy to use them.

“Where are you going?” Mandy said.

Roman was going to snap. “I told you,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m going to Virgil’s house.”

“Who?”

“My friend’s,” Roman said. “See you!”

And before his mother could get in another word, he ran out of the house and slammed the door shut behind him.

The longer Roman drove blaring music (Disney, of course) through the stereo, the more he started to feel like his old self.

He was home! There was no greater feeling.

Once Roman reached the Sanders house, he leapt out of the car, only just remembering to lock it, and ran to the front door, ringing the doorbell.

Virgil’s father Patton had told Roman that he didn’t have to knock, that he was quite welcome to always just enter the house whenever he wanted and that he was basically family, but Roman disagreed.

He didn’t think it would be very polite if he just waltzed into their house like he owned it, and in any case, it might terrify them if a boy who had been gone for three months suddenly appeared in their living-room out of nowhere, so he decided to wait.

It felt like a lifetime (but was in reality only about thirty seconds) before the door swung open.

Roman’s smile faltered just a little bit when he found himself face-to-face, not with Virgil, or Patton, or even Logan, but a tiny child, no more than four or five..

A child Roman had never seen in his life.

The young boy stared up at Roman with wide eyes, his jaw dropping. “You’re the prince,” he gasped.

“Huh,” Roman mused, bending down so that he was eye level with the boy, who was grinning like Christmas had come early. “You know,” Roman said slowly. “Virgil…You were a lot taller when I left.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stick around after this chapter for a little chat at the end. I got a few things I want to say but I know you're eager to read first!

* * *

 

 

For a moment, no one spoke as Roman and the child stared at each other. Then the boy’s face scrunched up in a smile, and he giggled.

“I’m not Virgil, I’m Thomas!” he said, then pointed up at Roman excitedly. “And you’re the prince!”

_Oh, a fan. How nice!_

Roman stood up, giving Thomas a low bow.

“Indeed I am,” he said. “Prince Roman, at your service. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, young Thomas.”

Thomas beamed. He may not have understand what half of those words meant, but it sure sounded about as regal and important as the toddler expected a prince to talk.

“Thomas! You can’t just run off like that!”

Patton hurried into view, looking completely frazzled, and for whatever reason that made Roman smile. It was nice to be back.

“But it’s the prince!” Thomas insisted as Patton scooped him up into his arms, looking stern.

“I don’t care who it is,” Patton said. “You have to wait for one of the adults to answer the door, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy,” Thomas promised, and Roman blinked.

_Daddy?_

Roman hadn’t really had a moment to consider _why_ Thomas might be there in the first place, but now it made sense; Thomas was the Sanders’s newly adopted child. He had known before he had left for his vacation that the Sanders had been planning on adding another, but he hadn’t been expecting the adoption to take place while he was away.

Patton smiled as he finally realised who was at the door, pulling Roman out of his thoughts and into a hug, taking extra care not to squish Thomas between them.

“Roman! You’re back! It’s so good to see you again, kiddo,” Patton said as he drew away.

“You too, Mr. Patton,” Roman grinned.

Patton shook his head.

“How many times, Roman? You don’t have to keep calling me that, Patton is fine.”

“I know,” Roman said, rolling his eyes. True, Patton had said many times to call him by his first name, but Roman had been saying “Mr. Patton” for so long now that to stop felt like a crime against nature.

“How was England?”

“It was good,” Roman shrugged. “Though I see you’ve had a more exciting time lately,” he added, gesturing towards Thomas.

“Oh yeah! This is Virgil’s new little brother,” Patton said happily. “I had forgotten that you two hadn’t met each other before. It honestly feels like Thomas has been here with us forever.”

“Put me down, please and thank you,” Thomas said, squirming in Patton’s hold. Patton put him back on his feet with a chuckle, just as Logan appeared at the end of the hallway.

“Papa!” Thomas cried, trotting over to him and making grabby hands.

“Hello, my busy little bee,” Logan said, scooping the toddler up into a hug. “What’s all the fuss in here about?”

“Mama Lo!” Roman cried. Okay, so maybe he was just _incapable_ of ceasing the childish nicknames. “Good to see you again!”

“Ah, Roman. That explains the commotion. It is good to see you too, welcome back,” Logan said.

Thomas frowned and looked back and forth between Roman and Logan.

“That’s not Mama,” he said, and pointed a chubby finger at Logan. “That’s Papa.”

“Right you are, Thomas,” Roman said. “You’re a clever little prince, aren’t you?”

Thomas’s chest swelled with pride, and Roman grinned. He could already tell that the toddler was an absolute gift to the Sanders family.

“Oh!” he cried, snapping his fingers as he remembered. “I have gifts! I forgot to bring them with me in my haste to get over here, but I’ll remember to bring them for next time. He looked at Thomas for a moment, then added: “Thomas can have a corgi teddy I got.” He’d planned on giving that to Patton, but he hadn’t known about Thomas yet when he’d been gift buying, and he didn’t want the newest family member to be left out.

“You did not have to do that, Roman,” Logan said.

Roman opened his mouth to argue that _yes, he really did have to do that,_ when he was interrupted by a loud barking.

“It sounds like Jack has worked out you’re here,” Patton chuckled. He stepped back to allow Roman to come further into the house, and the group turned their gaze towards the stairs as the sound of a door opening came from the second floor.

“Alright, calm down! Dad, something’s wrong with Jack, he won’t settle! Don’t you growl at me!”

Roman’s heart gave a leap of joy at the sound of Virgil’s voice, and he suddenly realized that he’d missed his friend this summer even more than he’d thought.

“Let him go,” Patton called back with a grin. “He’s fine.”

“But he’s really-Hey!”

A second later, a streak of white flashed across the room towards Roman. He got down to his knees and opened his arms wide, allowing Jack to jump straight into them.

“Aw buddy, I missed you, too,” Roman said as Jack aggressively licked his face, tail wagging so fast that Roman wouldn’t have been surprised if it flew right off. “Were you a good boy for the Sanders, huh?”

“Yeah!” Thomas piped up. “He slept in my bed and-“ Thomas gasped as his brother appeared on the second floor landing. “Virge! Virge! Look! It’s the prince!” He cried, gesturing wildly at Roman.

Roman gave Jack one final pat and then straightened back up, his attention being drawn to his best friend.

“I can see that, Thomas,” Virgil smirked, his arms folded as he leaned against the bannister.

Roman grinned, and raised an eyebrow.

“Did you miss me?”

“Not even a little bit,” Virgil replied, arching an eyebrow of his own.

Roman placed his hand over his chest in mock agony, not one to be deterred by Virgil’s typical snark.

“You wound me,” he said. “Striking right in the heart, where you know it hurts the most. Have you no honor?”

“None whatsoever,” Virgil quipped, and Roman grinned again. He was about to open his mouth to fire back, but a distressed wail caught the pair’s attention before their teasing could continue.

“Nooooooooo!” Thomas pouted from Logan’s arms. “You two aren’t supposed to fight each other! You’re the prince and the knight, you’re supposed to fight _bad_ guys, _together!_ Stop it!”

Virgil chuckled, and walked over to ruffle his brother’s hair.

“Aww, don’t worry buddy. Roman and I sound kinda like we’re fighting, but we’re not. We’re just teasing each other, it’s all for fun.”

“Really?” Thomas asked, looking doubtfully back and forth between Roman and Virgil.

“Yeah, it’s...it’s like when Papa says he doesn’t like Daddy’s puns, you know?”

“But he actually does like them sometimes and thinks Daddy’s super cute when he makes them?”

“Exactly!” Virgil said with a smile, while Patton shot Logan a grin over the boys’ heads.

“Why _Logan,_ I had no idea you _felt_ that way!” he crooned, laughing as Logan blushed.

“I thought we agreed not to tell Daddy about that boys?” Logan asked, and Virgil smirked at him.

“Whoops,” he deadpanned, and Roman couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face at the family’s antics.  

“I do hope your fears have been assuaged, my brave young prince,” he said, stepping closer to address Thomas. “Your brother and I are the very best of friends, rest assured that nothing shall break our bond!”

“Sap,” Virgil muttered, rolling his eyes, but his lips were quirked up in a smile, and Roman couldn’t help himself anymore.

He grabbed Virgil by the arm and pulled him into a tight hug, lifting the shorter boy up and spinning around a few times for good measure. Virgil let out a yelp of surprise, but when they landed he hugged back just as tightly, and Roman felt something warm blossom inside his chest as Virgil’s arms wrapped around him.

“Yes,” Virgil mumbled, and Roman drew back, raising an eyebrow.

“What was that?”

“Yes, I missed you,” Virgil said softly, and Roman smirked.

“I knew it. I am, after all, magnificent.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever you say, Princey.” Virgil rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling, and Roman had never been happier to see his friend smile than he was in this exact moment.

“Well, how ‘bout you two kiddos head up to Virgil’s room and catch up a little?” Patton suggested. “If you want, I can bring you up some food later, too.”

“I wanna come!” Thomas interjected.  
  
Patton chuckled. “Let’s get you some lunch first,”  he said. “You can play with them later, okay?”  
  
“Okay,” Thomas said, folding his arms in an attempt to look stern. “But no carrots please and thank you.”  
  
“I believe we have already established that you are not fond of carrots,” Logan sighed.  
  
“Carrots?” Roman said as Patton lead Logan and Thomas towards the kitchen.  
  
“Yeah, Thomas hates them,” Virgil snorted. “Papa tried to feed Thomas carrots on his first night here and Thomas threw them right at his face.”  
  
“Wow, it’s too bad that I missed that,” Roman chuckled, following his friend up the stairs.  
  
The two of them sat down on Virgil’s bed, and Roman sighed in contentment as he looked around. Virgil’s room was comfortingly familiar, though there was one small change. On the walls, beside Virgil’s band posters and collage of family photos, were dozens of drawings, all clearly drawn by Thomas.

“They look nice,” Roman teased, gesturing to the pictures. “Really suits the overall dark and broody theme of the room.”  
  
“This isn’t even half of them,” Virgil said. “He draws me a new one every day.”  
  
“He has some potential talent here,” Roman said as he examined the artwork. “He has a thing for butterflies, huh?”  
  
“He’s obsessed with them,” Virgil sighed, leaning his head casually on Roman’s shoulder. “How was England?”  
  
“It was enjoyable,” Roman said with a shrug. “I think it would have been better if you had been there though.”  
  
“I’m touched,” Virgil smirked. “Was it that bad with Andrew?”  
  
“No, actually” Roman admitted. “He’s not nearly as awful as he once was.”  
  
“I find that hard to believe,” Virgil grumbled.  
  
“That’s because you have a personal vendetta against him,” Roman said. “You-”  
  
He paused mid-sentence, frowning as he scanned the room.

“Uh, Princey?” Virgil said. “Did you just malfunction?”  
  
Roman ignored him, continuing to sweep his eyes around the room. He was positive that he had heard something. The strange noise came again, and after a quick look around, he spotted the cage in the corner of the room. And more importantly, the animals crawling around inside it.

“Rats?” he asked, turning to Virgil in surprise.  
  
“Yep,” Virgil said. He got up and pointed to each rat as he introduced them. “That black one is Espresso, then there’s Macchiato, the white one in the back is Decaf, and the multicoloured one is Frappuccino, Frappe for short.”  
  
“Virgil…” Roman said slowly after a long pause. “You hate coffee. The only reason you ever even drink it is for the aesthetic...why on earth would name your rats after so many caffeinated drinks?”  
  
“They’re not my rats, idiot,” Virgil said. “You think I could have pet rats with Sally around? She’s already tried to eat Decaf twice, it's too much responsibility and I’d probably die. Nah, I’m just pet sitting.”  
  
“You’ve been doing a lot of that it seems,” Roman said as Jack dashed into the room and jumped up onto the bed with him. “So who do these guys belong to then?”  
  
“Remy,” Virgil said, sitting back down on the bed and scratching Jack behind the ears.  
  
“The...The rat from Ratatouille?” Roman asked.  
  
“No, no. Man, I keep forgetting how much you’ve missed out on,” Virgil said. “You remember Picani?”  
  
“Your therapist?” Roman said.  
  
“Yeah,” Virgil said. “He has this patient, Elliot, and I met them just before one of my sessions. Turns out, they’re best friends with Remy, Picani’s son. They invited me to hang out with them one day and I did.”  
  
“You willingly went outside?” Roman said with a laugh, nudging Virgil’s side, but he was really only half joking.  
  
“Picani kept telling me I should try and make new friends,” Virgil shrugged. “I thought I’d take the chance while it was there. It turns out that they’re both pretty cool, and they go to our school, too.”  
  
“Hm. Great, that’s really great,” Roman said, watching the rats nose around in their cage perhaps a bit more intently than was necessary.    
  
Virgil frowned, and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get any words out, someone knocked on his bedroom door.

“Yeah?” Virgil called, and the door swung open slowly, a bright pair of eyes peering in at the boys.

“Daddy’s making sandwiches,” Thomas said.

“Really? That’s cool.”

“But no carrots on them,” Thomas informed them.

“What a relief,” Virgil said and Roman could tell that he was trying his hardest not to laugh.

“Mhm,” Thomas shuffled his feet, eyes still zoned in on Roman.

“I think you’ve got a fan,” Virgil said in an undertone.

“He clearly has great taste,” Roman said before addressing Thomas, “why don’t you come in for a little while?”

“Really?” Thomas beamed. At Virgil’s nod, Thomas ran into the room and scrambled up onto the bed between them. “What are you doing?”

“I was just telling Princey about the rats,” Virgil said.

“Oh! Can the Squeakers come out and play?” Thomas asked.

Roman chuckled at the sheer adorableness of this child. “Nah,” Virgil said. “They’ve gotta stay in their cage.”

Thomas pouted. “They don’t stay in the cage at Remy’s house,” he whined.

“That’s because Remy doesn’t have a cat who sees them as dinner.”

“Thomas has been to Remy’s house?” Roman asked, surprised. He wasn’t sure why he cared so much, but for some reason something didn’t sit right with him about it.

“A couple of times,” Virgil said.

“He lets me play with the Squeakers!” Thomas declared.

“Cool…that’s cool,” Roman said, folding his arms. “Yep.”

Virgil glanced over at Roman and frowned. This was the second time his mood had dropped suddenly, and both times were when Remy had been mentioned.

"Roman, is everything-"

“Lunch, kiddos,” Patton interrupted, entering the room with a tray of sandwiches in his hands.

“Thanks, Dad,” Virgil said.

Roman’s stomach growled suddenly, and he realized how long ago the meager meal on the airplane had been. “I appreciate it, Mr. Patton,” he said, grabbing a sandwich eagerly.

“It’s no trouble at all,” Patton smiled. “So what are you guys going to do now?”

“We have no plans,” Virgil said.

“Well, maybe you could watch something? I know Thomas has been really looking forward to spending time with the Prince,” Patton suggested.

“Fine by me,” Virgil said. “But it’s my turn to choose the movie.”  
  
“What? It should be my turn!” Roman protested. “I’m the one who’s back from England.”  
  
“You’re also the one who chose last time we had a movie night, even though it was my turn, because you were leaving for England!”  
  
“Exactly! Special cases mean I get special choosing rights!”  
  
“Nuh uh, you only get one special choice per year, and you used yours up already.”  
  
“Who says?”  
  
“Says me.”  
  
“Well I say-”  
  
“Ooh, ooh, can I choose the movie?” Thomas interrupted, clapping his hands excitedly.  
  
Roman and Virgil looked over at Thomas, then looked back at each other, and after a moment, burst out laughing.  
  
“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea, buddy,” Virgil said, raising an eyebrow at Roman.  
  
“Agreed! As the youngest Prince of this Land, choosing rights fall to you this evening, Thomas!” Roman agreed, and Virgil grinned.  
  
Once Thomas had picked a movie, Winnie-The-Pooh of course, the three of them snuggled up on the bed together. However, Roman found it difficult to concentrate on the film. Being with his best friend again just made him so damn happy, and his gaze kept drifting over from the television to Virgil.  
  
“What are you staring at?” Virgil asked after noticing where Roman’s attention had fallen.  
  
“Nothing,” Roman said, his smile widening.  
  
“You’re so weird, Princey,” Virgil said and rolled his eyes.  
  
Roman laughed. It was good to be home.

* * *

 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, yes, it is I. I have returned! Where have I been, you may ask....Well, dear reader, I have been STRUGGLING. Holy heck, this chapter did not want to work with me. It was only thanks to my amazing friend that I actually got anywhere..phew....Also, a few things I want to say...This story is probably (definitely) gonna to be a tiny bit slower than To Build A Home because there's not murder and all that stuff and it's just a bit simpler so if the drama takes awhile to build up then I'm sorry but I don't want to just jump straight into the action this time lol 
> 
> Also updates may take longer because I really, really, REALLY want to turn To Make A Home into something I'm proud of..I go back to read TBAH and I'm like "what was you thinking, girl?"...There were so many mistakes because I just rushed into it but I know a bit more about what I'm doing this time around and I won't be posting chapters until I'm at least semi happy with them..Or until I know that I've done all I can. I want to give you guys the content you deserve.
> 
> Lastly, let me know if there are any characters you want to see have more interactions..Obviously Roman and Virgil will be our main two but if there is anyone else you want to see Roman (or another character) spend more time with then let me know..Maybe you want Harmony and Thomas to have some scenes together..Who knows? It doesn't matter which characters you'd like to see have interactions, good or bad, just let me know and I'll see if I can make it happen.
> 
> Okay, thanks for reading!! See you in the next chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Swearing and that's about it...Not much angst...Yet...

* * *

 

“Virgil.”  
  
“Mm.”  
  
“Virgil, wake up.”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Virgil.”  
  
“Shut up, Princey.”

Roman sighed, cursing whatever god was out there that had decided he would have a best friend that was such a fidgety sleeper. Once Thomas had been put to bed, the pair of them had stayed up long into the night talking and catching up until they finally passed out on Virgil’s bed.

It wasn’t the first time that the two of them had shared a bed before but it had been so long that Roman had forgotten how much Virgil tended to move around; he had also failed to remember that Virgil was not a morning person.

Virgil was sprawled out across the bed, half lying on top of Roman who was growing more uncomfortable with each passing second.

“Virgil, your feet are freezing,” Roman whined. “I demand you remove them at once!”

Virgil retracted his feet from Roman allowing a moment of solace but the relief was short-lived as Virgil used the aforementioned limbs to kick Roman out of the bed and onto the floor. “Fuck you,” Virgil grunted, still refusing to open his eyes.

 _I’ve missed you too, dear friend._  
  
“You are quite possibly the worst person I have ever met,” Roman said as he picked himself up.

“My bed, my rules,” Virgil said smugly, burrowing himself even further under the blankets.

And within seconds, he was snoring again.

Roman shook his head fondly. _I will have my revenge,_ he thought to himself before he turned to leave the room.

Jack and Sally were standing outside the door and Sally tried to sneak past Roman as he left but he was quick to block her path. “No, you don’t,” he said to her over her loud meowing. “You know that you can’t go in there while the rats are there.”

He nudged her in the direction of the way that she had come and she hissed at him, seeming greatly offended when Roman merely laughed.

“You are so like your owner,” he said as he shut the door to Virgil’s room.

Sally slunk off in search of some other poor creatures to go and terrorise, while Jack followed Roman down the stairs eagerly; Roman let the dog outside and then headed for the kitchen, where the smell of delicious foods wafted towards him.

Patton was over by the stove, the radio playing quietly in the background as he made breakfast for everyone. He gave Roman a bright smile as the boy took a seat at the counter.  

“Good morning, Mr. Patton,” Roman said, eliciting a giggle from Patton. “Do you need any help?”

“No thanks, bud,” Patton replied. “It’s almost ready. Did you sleep okay?”

“I had a splendid rest,” Roman said, and it was true; it was the best sleep he had had in months. “Thank you for allowing me to stay the night.”

“Of course! You’re family, Ro, you’re welcome any time,” Patton said. “Are you going to stay again tonight?”

“That would be nice,” Roman said, “but I also promised Henry that I would go see him and Summer tonight.”

“It’s important to keep your promises,” Patton said firmly.

“I concur,” Roman said then he grinned. “Plus, he’s making us pancakes for dinner and you know I can’t refuse that.”

“Henry does make the best pancakes out of anyone I know,” Patton said, a blissful look on his face. “Uh.. don’t tell my dad I said that, okay?”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Roman assured him. “How are Mr. and Mrs. Sanders doing, anyway?” Roman had always loved Virgil’s grandparents.

“Good,” Patton said, his smile faltering a little. “My dad has been a little under the weather though.”

Roman didn’t like the sound of that. He was fond of both Harmony and Ethan, but Ethan was a particular favourite; he had always played along with Roman’s princely mindset as a child.

“Is he okay?”

“I’m sure he will be,” Patton said, and Roman wondered who he was trying to convince. “He’s tough, my dad.”

“Well, if there’s anything I can do to help then just let me know,” Roman said.

“Thanks, kiddo,” Patton replied. “Hungry?”

“Starved.”

“Virgil will be so happy to have you back,” Patton said, dishing up Roman’s breakfast as he spoke. “He has been having a hard time without you, I think.”

“I imagine it wasn’t that bad,” Roman responded. “He seemed to have made some new friends.”

“Remy and Elliot,” Patton said and Roman stabbed at his eggs with a little more force than necessary.

“Yeah, them,” he muttered.

Patton wasn’t oblivious to Roman’s sudden drop in demeanor. “Roman, you know you’re always going to be Virgil’s best friend. There’s no need to be upset.”

“I’m not upset,” Roman protested, now cutting his food so hard that the knife was scraping against the plate. “I’m _not_ ,” he repeated when Patton raised an eyebrow.

“Then would you be so kind as to no destroy our cutlery,” Logan said as he entered the room, carrying a half-awake Thomas in his arms who waved at Roman.

“Sorry,” Roman blushed and Patton chuckled, reaching over to ruffle Roman’s hair.

“Don’t worry, Ro,” he said and Roman got the feeling that Patton was talking about more than just the plates. “Good morning,” he added, his attention being drawn to Logan and the sleepy toddler.

“Good morning,” Logan smiled and gave his husband a quick kiss.

Thomas held out his hands towards Patton. “I want one, please and thank you,” he said. Patton laughed, kissing Thomas on the cheek and making the young child squeal.

“Of course I would never forget you, kiddo!”

There was an uneasiness that settled in Roman’s stomach and he found his appetite diminishing. It was difficult to be an outsider in a family that was obviously so loving towards one another when his own was so cold...so distant.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen his parents kiss or show any sort of affection towards him or each other. So seeing Logan and Patton, who looked more in love every day, or Thomas getting love and devotion whenever he craved it... _kind of, sort of,_ really hurt.

It was a silly thing to be upset over, but Roman was discovering that more and more seemed to be perturbing him as of late.

“Roman,” Logan’s voice pulled Roman out of his thoughts, “your class schedule should be available to read online now, if you're interested.”

Roman swallowed heavily as the realization hit him that in just a few short days he and Virgil would be starting their second last year of high school. It was truly a terrifying thought for Roman, because he had no idea of what he could or would do once he left school...but on the plus side, neither did Virgil, so at least they’d be clueless together.

Roman pulled out his phone and immediately looked up his class schedule. “Ha,” he said after a moments silence. “I’m in your class this year, Mama Lo,” he said and Logan rolled his eyes.

“You are not to call me that at school.”

“You got it, Mama Sanders,” Roman said.

“Nor that!”

“Okay,” Roman said, “but I think we are going to get some pretty weird stares if I start calling you Mother Logan.”

Logan exhaled and leaned his head against Patton’s shoulder. “Is it too early to give him detention?” he asked, only half-joking.

 

* * *

 

After breakfast, Thomas who was now wide awake, grabbed Roman’s arm and pulled.

Of course he was too weak to wrench Roman out of his chair but it was cute to see him attempt it.

“What is it, Little Prince?” Roman said. “Is something the matter?”

“We have to go wake Virge!” Thomas announced.

“I’m not entirely sure that is a wise idea, my young friend,” Roman said. “Virgil likes his rest.”

That was a more delicate way of saying that anyone who disturbed Virgil’s sleep would probably get their head ripped off.

“Not to worry, Roman,” Logan said. “It would seem that Thomas is almost immune to Virgil’s ill tempers in the mornings.”

“Of course Thomas is!” Patton interjected. “Who could ever get mad at such an adorable face?” Thomas giggled as Patton poked his nose. “Besides, Virgil’s hardly grumpy.”

“Patton, I know you like to see the best in him because that is the kind of person you are, but even you have to admit that his temper is insufferable in the mornings,” Logan said.

“Come on,” Thomas whined, tugging on Roman’s arm again before Patton could retort.

Roman laughed. “Okay,” he said. “Just let me take my dishes to the sink and wash up first, alright?”

“Aw, don’t worry about that,” Patton said. “You just go with Thomas before he breaks your arm.”

“Oh, well, if you’re sure,” Roman said. “Thank you Mr. Patton.”

Roman hung back a little as he followed Thomas because while the child may have been safe from Virgil’s inevitable temper tantrum, Roman was not.

In fact as soon as Thomas jumped up on Virgil’s bed and shook his brother, Virgil yelled, “Princey, I told you to fuck off!”

Thomas’s eyes widened and he looked over at Roman. “Yeah! Fuck off!”

Roman knew that he shouldn’t laugh, it was the most irresponsible thing he could do in that situation but he couldn’t help himself, especially when he saw Virgil sit up with a look of horror on his face.

“No, wait, Thomas-”

“Fuck off!” Thomas cried again, leaping off the bed and running out of the room. “Papa,” he cried as he scampered downstairs. “Fuck off!”

“Well, shit,” Virgil said.

“Does he even know what that means?” Roman asked as Virgil flopped back down against the mattress.

“No, he just knows that you thought it was funny,” Virgil said.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have encouraged him by laughing,” Roman said.

“And yet, you’re still grinning.”

“Because it _was_ funny.”

Virgil rolled his eyes, reaching for his phone on the end table as Roman crawled back into the bed next to him. “What are you doing today?” Virgil asked.

“I’m going to Henry’s later, why?”

“I’ve got to take the rats back to Remy today,” Virgil said. “You want to come with?”

_Not particularly._

“Why?” Roman repeated.

“I don’t know,” Virgil said, “because it’d be cool for you to meet him and Elliot. Also, I need a ride.”

“I knew you had an ulterior motive,” Roman said. “You have to get your license someday, you know?”

“Cars are a death trap and it’s bad enough that I have to sit in them,” Virgil insisted. “The very last thing I want to do is drive one.”

“You must face your fears sometime, my dear knight,” Roman said. “We cannot live in fear forever.”

“Says the guy who still hasn’t answered my question for some reason, ” Virgil taunted. “What’s the matter, do you not want to meet my friends or something? Are you afraid they’re cooler than you? You don’t need to worry, I can tell you right now that they totally are.”

_Ouch._

“How _dare_ you?” Roman said. “There is nobody on earth that is cooler than me.”

“Actually, I think you will find that people in colder climates would be much cooler than you.” Roman glanced up to see that Logan was standing in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest.

“Right you are,” Roman said.

“Would either of you mind explaining to me why Thomas just ran downstairs shouting some rather insolent words?” Logan asked.

“Hey, you’re the one who decided to adopt another kid when you knew exactly what I’m like,” Virgil said. “This one is on you.”

Logan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Nevertheless,” he insisted. “Would it be possible for you to refrain from the language around him? You know that Patton hates it.”

“I can’t help it, it slips out sometimes,” Virgil said.

“Virgil.”

Virgil lifted the blanket up and over his and Roman’s heads, obscuring Logan from their view. “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you when I’m under here,” Virgil said.

“That makes no logical sense,” Logan said. “The fact that you cannot see me anymore does not mean that you are unable to hear me.”

“Don’t worry, Mama Lo,” Roman cried out from under the wall of fabric. “I will avenge you and make sure that Virgil never harms the ears of an innocent child ever again!”

“Wow. Betrayed by the one person I thought I could trust,” Virgil said. “Get out of my blanket fort. It’s only for loyal friends.”

And once again, he shoved Roman out of the bed and onto the floor.

“I will never understand you two,” Logan said before he turned and left the room.

 

* * *

 

 

“Bye bye, squeakers,” Thomas said as he sadly waved goodbye to the rats in the cage.

“You’ll see them again, kiddo,” Patton said, “the next time you go to Remy’s.”

“Why do they have to go?”

“Because they’re not our pets,” Virgil said, “and because Sally is one more open door away from swallowing Decaf whole.”

“Sally’s not nice,” Thomas said.

“She’s a cat, dude,” Virgil said. “They chase rats. Thomas hasn’t exactly warmed up to Sally yet,” he added to Roman under his breath.

“Ah, I understand,” Roman told Thomas. “Sally still doesn’t like me either.”

“I like the puppy,” Thomas said, scratching Jack between the ears. “I wanna get a puppy but Papa said no.”

“Perhaps one day, Thomas,” Logan said.

“Does the puppy have to go too?” Thomas sniffled.

“I am afraid so, Thomas,” Roman said. “I have missed him a whole lot and I can’t leave him behind again, but you did such a great job taking care of him that I know he is excited to return. I am sure we will see you again in a few days.”

“You promise?” Thomas pouted.

“Of course, and a prince always keeps his promises,” Roman said. “Until I return, you’re in charge of the castle, okay?”

“We don’t live in a castle,” Thomas giggled.

“Well then...you have to look after your dads and your brother until I get back. Can you do that?”

“Yeah! I will! I’ll do it,” Thomas said.

“Then I am sure the kingdom is in safe hands,” Roman said.

“Okay, okay, it’s not like you’ll never see each other again,” Virgil said. “Let’s go already. Espresso is trying to chew his way out of this cage.”

Roman wasn’t particularly interested in meeting Virgil’s new friends, but the rat trying to make a bid for freedom was a pretty good reason to get going, so Roman thanked the Sanders again for dogsitting Jack then got into the car with Virgil.

It was strange to be completely alone with Virgil for the first time in months. Roman felt like so much had changed...he felt like _Virgil_ had changed, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“So how’d you end up with the rats?” he asked, more of a way to fill the silence.

“Remy’s grandmother was in town and she hates them,” Virgil explained. “She doesn’t care if they’re his pets, she’ll kill them on sight, and seeing as he lets them run free, he didn’t want to risk it.”

“Why couldn’t Emmet have taken them?”

“Elliot,” Virgil corrected, “and Elliot doesn’t have the best home life. Remy just asked me first because he knows Dad is a veterinarian and probably wouldn’t mind as much.”

“How does he know that about your dad?” Roman asked. “Has he been to your house?”

“Would it matter if he had?” Virgil said. “Man, what is your problem? Every time I’ve mentioned Remy or Elliot, you’ve gotten annoyed. Why do you hate them?”

“I don’t even know _him_ or Everett-“

“Elliot.”

“That’s what I said,” Roman said. “I don’t even know them so how can I hate them?”

“You tell me. You’re the one getting upset whenever I bring them up,” Virgil said. “Forgive me for wanting to extend our friend group a little.”

“I’m not upset,” Roman insisted.

“Whatever dude,” Virgil muttered and leaned his head against the window.

Except for Virgil giving the occasional direction, they drove the rest of the way to Remy’s house in silence. Glancing over at his friend, Roman couldn’t help but think that was not how he had envisioned coming home.

Okay, maybe he had been a little weird upon hearing about Elliot and Remy, but it was only because he was looking out for Virgil. Virgil had never been very open about his early childhood and therefore Roman didn’t have a lot of details, but he knew enough to understand that Virgil had been through a lot. He knew that Virgil’s parents had been unkind, causing Virgil to be placed in an orphanage, and that Virgil had a lot of inner trauma that he was still working through. Virgil had come a long way...he had worked really _really_ hard on himself, and Roman didn’t want two people who hardly even knew Virgil to come along and mess that up.

 _So what if I’m doubtful?_ Roman thought to himself. _He has to understand that I’m just trying to look out for him._

Roman wasn’t so sure that Virgil did understand though and he couldn’t think of a way to bring it up so neither of them said another word until they pulled into the driveway of the Picani household.

“You can leave,” Virgil said softly as he unclipped his seatbelt. “I’m not going to make you come and meet them if you don’t want to. I’m sure Henry will be wondering where you are.”

“No,” Roman said as he squinted up the house; two teenagers were sitting on the front porch and he supposed they were Virgil’s new friends. “No, I have a few minutes to spare, so I will join you. I have behaved dishonorably, and I am sorry. I should give them a chance, if they’re so important to you.”

“Thanks, Princey,” Virgil said. “Oh, and one more thing.”

“Hmm?”

“Elliot uses they and them pronouns,” Virgil explained. “So just uh...keep that in mind?”

“Of course,” Roman said.

Virgil gave him one of his rare, soft smiles before he grabbed the cage of rats and got out of the car, Jack whining as soon as he shut the door.

Roman would have been offended had he not known that Jack was only crying because the rats were out of sight and Jack was already missing his four new best friends.

“Come on,” Roman said to the dog who he was sure was only seconds away from howling. “Let’s go and get this over with.”

_That’s the spirit, Roman._

 

* * *

 

 

Virgil hadn’t known Remy all that long, but during the amount of time they had spent together, Remy had proven himself to be very aloof and sarcastic...not that you’d suspect it from the way he treated his pet rats.

“Mommy missed you too,” he cooed as Decaf climbed up his arm and curled up on his chest.

“You might want to keep an eye on that one,” Virgil said. “I’m pretty sure Sally terrorized him, she seemed to take a real liking to him in particular. Sorry.”

“S’all good, babes,” Remy said, brushing aside Virgil’s apology. “Thanks for watching them.”

“You’re welcome,” Virgil said.

Remy got up to deposit the rats inside so that they could run around freely, and when he stepped back outside, Virgil saw him slowly slide his sunglasses down his face as he checked something out across the yard.

“Who. Is. That?”

Elliot and Virgil followed Remy’s gaze to see Roman had gotten out of his car and was making his way towards them.

“You mean Roman?” Virgil asked, unsure what the big deal was.

“ _That’s_ Roman?” Elliot raised an eyebrow. “The guy you’re always talking about? I gotta admit, he’s not what I expected.”

“What do you mean?” Virgil said.

But there was no time for Elliot to answer because Roman was now within earshot and he looked highly uncomfortable that all the eyes were on him.

“Uh, hi,” he said, nodding at the trio.   
  
“Princey, this is Elliot and Remy,” Virgil said as Roman gave a small wave.

“Hey,” Elliot said.

"This is him? _Oooh_." Remy looked Roman up and down, licking his lips slightly. 

Virgil felt his cheeks start to burn and he saw the panic rising in Roman’s eyes. He probably should have given Roman more warning of what Remy could be like, but now it was too late.  
  
“I mean, you _said_ he was good looking, but dang, gurl. You’ve been holding out on us!" Remy said, his smile widening as Virgil felt his stomach drop.

Roman shoved his hands in his pocket, a sure sign to Virgil that he was losing composure. “I mean, I-... Uh… Thanks?” Roman said meekly.

 _Good looking?!_  
  
Virgil wracked his brain. When had he called Roman good looking? Of course Roman was good looking, there was no denying that but he didn’t recall saying it out loud- wait, what?

Okay, it’s not like Virgil didn’t know that Roman was attractive, of course he was, but that didn’t mean Virgil wanted to think about it...at least not more than he did already.

_Wait. WHAT?_

Virgil shook his head, trying to rid his mind of all these thoughts and it was lucky that Elliot seemed to notice his unease because they nudged Remy’s foot lightly.

“Lay off,” Elliot said.

Remy looked at Virgil and then back to Roman who were both blushing, and Virgil did not like the expression that crossed his face...as if he knew some great secret that everyone else was yet to uncover.

“Relax gurl,” Remy said to Roman, “it’s just a compliment.”

“Compliment..Right,” Roman said, taking a few steps back away from Remy. “I have to go now.”  
  
“What, so soon?” Remy said. “You just got here!”

“I was just giving Virgil a lift, and I have some places to be,” Roman said. “You’ll be able to find your way back home, Virgil?”

“Don’t worry,” Elliot said. “I’ll give him a ride back.”

“Excellent...Well, goodbye,” Roman said. Virgil was pretty sure that he was about to break out into a full sprint.  

"Welp, don't be a stranger, hon! Virgil's cute and all but God knows we need some variety around here!"

“Remy,” Elliot groaned.

Yep, it was decided; Virgil was one hundred percent going to murder Remy.

“Not a stranger...Won’t be...Okay,” Roman said.

Virgil waited until Roman was safely in his car before he turned on Remy. “What the hell was that?” he asked. “Aren’t you aromantic? _And_ asexual?”

“Bitch, please,” Remy laughed. “Just because I won’t order doesn’t mean I can’t look at the menu. And sweetie, that boy right there was a full main course.”

“You are literally the worst person that has ever existed,” Elliot mumbled.

“You did not have to do any of that,” Virgil said.

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” Remy said. “He’s hot and you know it.”

“I don’t- I never- Wh-What?” Virgil stammered.

Remy chuckled. “All I’m saying is,” he said as he watched Roman’s car disappear out of sight, “I am going to have a lot of fun with that one.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suppose it is too soon to announce that there is going to be a third story based around Logan and Patton and how they met? Yes, okay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter this time...I hope you still like it!

* * *

 

The further away from Remy’s house that Roman got, the faster his mind raced. He couldn’t stop recalling Remy’s last words to him, particularly the part where he had called Virgil cute.  
  
_“Virgil's cute and all but God knows we need some variety around here!"_

Why on earth had Remy said that? Why on earth was Remy _thinking_ that?

Did Remy really think Virgil was cute? Did that mean Remy liked Virgil? Was Remy going to ask Virgil on a date and then they’d fall in love and do couple things and then Roman would be left behind until he died of loneliness?

No, that was crazy. Virgil was his best friend, they had been so since they were kids, and he would never abandon Roman just to go out with the human equivalent of a latte. Besides, Roman wasn’t even sure that Remy was Virgil’s type; everyone that Virgil had dated had been a girl.

Virgil hadn’t ever dated anyone for more than two weeks anyway, they had always seemed to be annoyed by Roman’s constant presence. The last girl that Virgil had dated had told him that he either to give up her or give up his friendship with Roman. She hadn’t lasted long after that.

So no, there was absolutely no way Roman would be forgotten even if Virgil and Remy did get together...Right?

“Right?” he asked Jack.

“Woof!”

_Right._

So why did he still feel uneasy about it all? Why did it still bother him that Remy had called Virgil cute?

His head was starting to hurt thinking about it, so he tried to put it to the back of his mind as he drove to Henry’s house. That proved next to impossible, and he was glad when he reached his destination and could finally find a distraction in the form of Jack scratching madly at the windows to be let out of the car.

Cosmo, a big, dopey looking St. Bernard came running out of the house as Roman stepped out of the car, and Roman smiled because that meant two things. One, Jack would have somebody to play with, and two, Henry had done as Roman had asked and invited Megan over.

Though she was actually Virgil -and now Thomas’s- aunt, Roman had always considered Megan as part of his family, too; she had never treated him any different and Roman respected people like that.

It was a big reason why he liked Henry so much; the surgeon had had a big hand in raising Roman and he hadn’t needed to. He had just seen the assistance that Roman had required and had taken it upon himself to step in and do whatever he could to make sure that Roman was okay. Henry was kind like that, he just wanted to help others and he never expected anything in return.

Not to mention how much Roman adored Henry’s twelve year old daughter. Admittedly, Summer did get on Roman’s nerves sometimes but for the most part, he really loved her. He had grown up with her, and with both of them being an only child, they had sort of become the siblings that neither of them had ever had.

_Well, no good standing here thinking about them, Roman. Head on in._

Cosmo licked Roman’s hand as he went by and Roman stopped to pat him. “Sorry,” he said to the dog. “I don’t have Virgil with me.” Other than Megan, Virgil was Cosmo’s favourite person in the whole entire world, and it was common knowledge even to animals that wherever Roman went, Virgil went too.

Once Cosmo had figured out that Virgil was not there, however, he turned away from Roman and went back towards the house, Jack chasing after him. Henry’s cat Wanda bolted from the room in fear when she saw Roman and the two dogs enter the house. Roman couldn’t blame her; Cosmo and Jack were full of way too much energy.

He shut the door behind him and left the two dogs to play with each other in the front room while he went further into the house. The smell in the air told him that Henry had started making the pancakes that he had requested, and he smiled to himself.

Instead of going in search of anyone, Roman decided to first put his stuff down in his room. After his millionth sleep over with Summer as a child, Henry had turned one of the spare rooms into a bedroom for Roman. It was a lot smaller than his one at home but he had been allowed to decorate it as he pleased and it was own private space whenever he visited Henry and Summer, which was a lot.

Roman threw his bag down onto his bed and absentmindedly took his phone out. He couldn’t explain why, but he half expected his parents to have sent him a text asking if he was okay. After all, he had been gone for almost two nights and it would have made sense for them to check up on him. But, they hadn’t.

Not that Roman cared.

No.

Not at all.

Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he left the room to go and find the others (which wasn’t very hard, he could hear them all in the kitchen).

“-eighteen? You are such a liar!”

Roman decided not to announce himself and instead leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms against his chest as he listened in.

Megan was sitting on top of the kitchen counter, swinging her legs back and forth and occasionally flicking flour at Henry who appeared to be in a playful argument with Summer.

“Why is that so hard to believe?” he asked her.

“It’s just not possible!” Summer said. “What about you, Megan?”

“Hmm...I think my record is forty-six,” Megan said and Summer nodded.

“So hers is believable?” Henry said as he flipped another pancake.

Now this felt like a family. The Owens and the Sanders both. Their houses were crowded and cozy, all full of noise and activity and fun. The Prince’s house was big and quiet, almost eerily so. Roman couldn’t remember the last time he and his parents had just had a fun evening in together...he couldn’t remember a time before England that he and his parents had even shared a meal together.

“What can I say, Henry?” Megan interrupted Roman’s thoughts. “I believe it has long ago been established that I am just better than you in every possible way.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yup,” Megan said. “For instance, I know to lock my door so that nobody can just walk into my house.” She pointed over her shoulder, and even Roman glanced around to make sure nobody was behind him.

“Roman!” Summer cried, crossing the kitchen to fling herself into his arms. “You’re back!”

“Yes, I have returned home from my arduous journey,” Roman said as he returned the hug. “I finally completed my quest which took me to many far away lands.”

“Delighted to see you again, my lord,” Megan said. “Are you hungry from your travels?”

“Ravenous, fair maiden,” Roman replied. “Er...As long as you’re not cooking.”

Megan rolled her eyes. “You know Henry doesn’t let me near the stove.”

“Because you burnt cereal, Megan,” Henry said. “How does someone even do that?”

“Whatever, you’re not my real dad,” Megan said.

“Thank God.”

“It’s good to see that at least things in _this_ house are the same,” Roman said.

“Ah, so you’ve met Thomas,” Megan said.

Roman stared at her, it was honestly scary how easily she could read people. “Yes, he’s cute,” he said. “I also met Virgil’s new friends Remy and Elliot.” His tone was a little more bitter at the mention of them, and Megan grinned.

“Aren’t they adorable?” she said.

“You’ve met them, too?” Roman frowned.

“Yeah,” Megan said. “I took them and Virgil to a spa for a day.”

“You what?”

“Spas are quite good for people with anxiety,” Megan said, “and Remy just wanted to go because he wanted to get his nails done.”

“And tell Roman why _you_ wanted to go,” Summer said.

Megan sighed. “To flirt with the cute chick at reception,” she said causing Henry to scoff.

“I kept telling you she wasn’t interested,” he said.

“She was perfectly interested until you came along!” Megan whined.

Summer rolled her eyes as though she had heard this argument a hundred different times.

“How many times do I have to tell you, she thought you guys were married which is why she didn’t retaliate.”

“Ohhhh,” Henry said. “Why on earth would she think that?”

“Because you practically are,” Summer mumbled only loud enough for Roman to hear. “So Roman, how was it? Did you meet the Queen?”

“No, I didn’t meet the Queen,” Roman said, “and before you ask, I didn’t meet Tom Hiddleston or Benedict Cumberbatch either.”

“Well, that seems like a waste of a trip,” Summer said. “What’s the point of going to England if you’re not going to meet anyone cool?”

“Well, I didn’t meet the Queen but that’s not to say I didn’t do some cool things,” Roman replied.

As they sat down to eat their breakfast-dinner (still to Henry’s disgust), Roman told them all about his trip and the things he done. He half-expected them to get bored or stop listening to him but they never did. All throughout the holidays, his family had told him to stop talking about his interests or really anything to do with his own life, and he had grown quite accustomed to being ignored. Being listened to was an unusual occurrence but it was nice for once.

“What about you?” Roman said when he had finished his tales. “What has been happening here?”

“Hmm.. Well, last week I arrested a kid for stealing chewing gum and he cried for about three hours,“ Megan replied.

“Ha!”

“But otherwise, everything has been the same here,” Megan said.

“Right, the same,” Roman muttered. “Other than Virgil having two new best friends, everything is the same.”

“I would hardly call them his best friends,” Henry said. “Virgil was very sad without you around.”

“Exactly, so no reason to be jealous,” Megan said, sneaking some of her pancake to Cosmo.

“Jealous?” Roman said in disbelief. “I am hardly jealous.”

Megan snorted. “Okay,” she sounded as though she wasn’t buying a word of it.

“I am not!”

“Awww sweetie,” Megan cooed, patting Roman’s cheek. “You’re forgetting that I’ve lived through this story before.”

“What are you-lived through-” Roman broke off and gasped dramatically. “Are you implying that Virgil and I are like Mama Lo and Mr. Patton?”

“Of course not!” Megan said, placing her hand over her heart. “Firstly, you don’t have glasses, and secondly, I’m not implying anything. I’m telling you that you are.”

“We are not!” Roman said firmly.

“Okay,” Megan repeated. “You know, it’s alright to be in denial.”

“Like you are about liking Henry?” Roman said smugly.

“I’m not in any sort of denial about that,” Megan said, “he’s the one who hasn’t worked it out yet.”

Henry suddenly coughed so loudly that Jack jumped about a foot in the air with a loud yelp. Megan ignored them both.

“Okay, well… regardless, I don’t like Virgil,” Roman said.

“I never actually said that you did,” Megan smirked.

Roman opened and closed his mouth several times. She had him there.

Megan raised an eyebrow. _Checkmate._

“Fine, I concede this round to you,” Roman said.

“Thank you!”

“Can we change the subject now?” Summer questioned, “before Dad turns anymore red.”

“Sure thing,” Megan said. “Have you been keeping up with your ballet practice?”

“Of course!” Roman said, almost offended that she had even dare ask. “We’re doing a production of Cinderella this year!”

“Ohh! Maybe you’ll get the part of the princess,” Megan said.

“Very funny.”

“You know, I’m kidding,” Megan said.

“Anyway, whatever part you get, we’ll be there,” Henry said.

“But you don’t even know if I’ll even be in it all that much,” Roman said and Summer shrugged.

“So?” She said. “We were still there when you got the part of the tree a couple of years ago, remember?”

“Don’t remind me,” Roman groaned.

He was smiling as he said it though, because he knew they were right. In times when his parents had never been around, he still had had the Owens and the Sanders.

Truly, he was lucky to have the people in his life that he did, and maybe if he had had warning of what was to come, he would have told them so.

Perhaps, Roman would have shown more appreciation for them all if he had known that in such a short amount of time, he was going to lose everything.

  
  
  
**Hi! This is not part of the** **story (obviously) but I really wanted to make sure you saw this message. I've been getting a LOT of art for this series and I thought it was about time I started sharing it...So here is the link to one of the saddest but most beautiful pieces of art! (it does involve a death mention but nothing too graphic)...It's also fitting for this chapter because it's Megan and Henry related! The top one is when Megan was left at the altar and the bottom one is after Henry's wife died...It's so sad but it's really gorgeous and think you should all see it. Okay, I'll be back again another day to share more amazing artwork that has been done for me! Bye! (Just copy and paste the link because it's not working for me lol...I PROMISE it's something safe, not a virus or anything! I just don't want to repost the art work here when it isn't mine..Okay bye again) http://maeofclubsandart.tumblr.com/post/184122090842/a-double-whammy-commission-for-a-valorous-choice**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fluff is ending...the angst....ah...she returns from the war.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Body shaming, bullying, swearing and negative thinking.

* * *

 

In Roman’s mind, the remainder of his holidays passed way too quickly, and before he knew it he was one day away from starting school again.

He had returned to ballet a week earlier and was relieved to see that he was one of the few who had kept up with his practice during the break; many of the other students had slacked off during their time away but Roman had remained on top of things, he ever so desperately wanted a good role in their upcoming performance of Cinderella.  

He knew that very few of the other dancers would be pleased if he got a big part; they had never seemed to like him much. He suspected it was because he was one of the youngest in the class, yet seemingly was one of the teacher’s favourites. But Roman couldn’t help that, it wasn’t his fault that they didn’t put in as much effort as he did.

Though Roman did wonder how he would be able to balance ballet and school this year. Both were certain to only get more and more difficult and it left Roman feeling uneasy...he had never been the smartest student. Not because he was dumb, but because he just wasn’t exactly interested in school.

However it didn’t matter that much what Roman feared. Things wouldn’t slow down just because he wanted them too, and before he knew it, summer was over.

The morning of his first day of school, Roman woke up earlier than usual, but still managed to be the last one up. He supposed that Henry was often awake at crazy hours due to being a surgeon and all. Roman guessed that Summer wasn’t used to such an early schedule though, if the way she was glaring at her bowl of cereal was any indication.

“Are you coming back here after school?” Henry asked Roman after they greeted each other.

Roman had spent the last few weeks of his break at the Owens house, and while he knew he could come back if he desired, he figured he better return home, at least for a little while. It wasn’t like his parents would have minded where he was though, as not once had they called to check up on him since the afternoon they had gotten back from England.

“No, thank you,” Roman said, grabbing a slice of buttered toast. “I have trespassed upon your generous hospitality long enough.”

“Ugh,” Summer groaned, “it’s too early for big words.”

Henry snorted. “Don’t be crazy, Roman,” he said. “You’re welcome here anytime.”

Patton had said the same thing about Sanders home, and it still struck Roman as strange. He was used to always being told he was getting in the way.

“I thank you,” he told Henry. “But I suppose eventually I should go back home.”

_If you can even call it that._

Roman pushed the thought away. He had noticed that there was a bitterness growing inside him lately, a resentment towards something that he couldn’t quite place. The only thing he did know for sure about it was that he didn’t enjoy the sensation one bit.

Virgil had always been the moody one, not him.

“I understand,” Henry said. “What about him?” He pointed at Jack, who was trying to engage Wanda in a game of chase. “You can’t take him to school with you.”

“I’ll have Nico pick him up.” Roman smiled to himself at the thought of the tiny dog sitting in the back of a limousine.

“Are you sure?” Henry asked. “I could take him home on my way to work.”

“It’s fine,” Roman said, waving his hand idly. “It gives Nico something to do.”

Roman didn’t really understand why they required a chauffeur when the only three people who he worked for were never around anyway, the poor guy was probably bored out of his mind.

“How come the dog gets to ride in the fancy car and I have to take the stupid bus?” Summer grumbled.

“Because it’s what Jack deserves,” Roman said firmly as Jack barked happily and wandered over to lick Summer’s hand.

“Yeah, okay,” Summer said, scratching the dog between his ears. “That’s a valid argument.”

“Well, if that is all settled then I’ve got to get to work,” Henry interjected, holding out two paper bags. Summer took one but Roman didn’t move.

“What’s that?”

“Your lunch,” Henry said, as if it were supposed to be obvious.

“You made me lunch?” Roman asked. Sure, lunch was usually made for him, but it was the cook at home who did it. He couldn’t remember the last time a parent had made him lunch.

“You don’t have to take it if you don’t want,” Henry shrugged. “I was making Summer hers, so I thought I’d make you one too.”

“I’ll take it, thanks,” Roman said, accepting the bag.

He waited until Henry had left for work before bringing it up with Summer. “Does he make you lunch everyday?”

“It’s just lunch,” Summer said with a shrug. “It’s not a big deal.”

But to Roman, who was positive that his parents didn’t even know his favourite foods and had never bothered to make him anything, it was a big deal.

 

* * *

 

After making sure that Nico arrived to pick Jack up safely and watching Summer stumble off towards the bus stop mumbling about how unfair life was, Roman got in his car and drove to school.

Sadly, he didn’t see Virgil for most of the morning because, except for English, none of their classes were together. Roman found that he didn’t have much time to dwell on that though, as he was far too preoccupied with the classes themselves.

The holidays may have only just ended, but that didn’t mean the teachers were going to go easy on the students; the workload seemed to have increased tenfold and he had already been given so much homework that when the bell signalled for his lunch break, he was tempted to tell his Spanish teacher exactly where she could stick her pop quiz.

If nothing else, Roman was grateful for that fact that Virgil shared the same lunch time as he did...but that happiness was short lived when he discovered who was also on their break with them.

“Do you mind if Remy and Elliot sit with us?” Virgil asked.

Roman almost choked on his sandwich.

“Wh-Why?” He spluttered, looking at Virgil through watery eyes.

“Uh… Why not?”

“No, I mean-“ Roman cleared his throat and put down his food, finding his appetite was diminishing thanks to this news. “Why do you think I would mind? I don’t mind,” Roman lied easily.

“Cool,” Virgil said, waving Remy and Elliot over.

Of course he minded, but to say so would be childish. He didn’t even know _why_ he minded. Virgil was entitled to more friends and Roman wasn’t going to hold him back from that, but there was something about Remy and Elliot that really rubbed him the wrong way… Well, okay, mostly Remy.

“Sup, gurl?”

Okay, _all_ Remy.

“The ceiling,” Roman muttered back as Remy sat down across from him next to Virgil.

“Cute,” Remy replied before he struck up a conversation with the other two.

Roman squinted suspiciously. He didn’t really understand what was going on, why was Remy being so chill? Where was the excessive flirting? The sly remarks? Roman didn’t trust him.

As for Elliot? Well, Roman still hadn’t worked out what their play was yet. Remy obviously had some sort of interest in Virgil but where did Elliot come in? Were they the pawn? The one to distract Roman while Remy worked to steal Virgil away? That just would not stand! Not if Roman had any say-

“Princey!”

Roman jumped, he hadn’t realised that Virgil had been trying to get his attention for quite some time.

“What?”

“I just- Never mind,” Virgil said. “Are you okay?”

“Fine, I’m fine,” Roman said. “Totally fine.”

“Uh-huh,” Virgil said and Roman knew he didn’t buy it. “What’s your next class?”

“Ummm...Oh, History,” Roman snorted as he checked his schedule. “With Mr. Sanders.”

“Me too,” Elliot piped up.

_Great._

“Ha!” Virgil said. “Not me. I can’t be in his class. It was one of his rules when I started here,” Virgil snickered. “He didn’t want anyone else to think I would get special treatment.”

_Double great._

So he had another class without Virgil and was stuck with Elliot instead.

“You have Chemistry with Remy, don’t you?” Elliot asked Virgil who nodded.

Roman almost choked again, he really had to be careful who he ate lunch with. “I mean, I wouldn’t say that they have _that_ much chemistry,” he muttered.

The others looked at him as though he were crazy.

“Elliot meant the class, you idiot,” Virgil said.

Oh, yes that made more sense.

_Triple great._

So not only was he left with Elliot but Remy and Virgil would also have a class together...Alone….Was this another part of his plan? Had he and Elliot messed with the class schedules so that Virgil would be with Remy?

 _Pump the brakes,_ he thought, _you’re starting to sound a little crazy there._

Roman exhaled deeply and as a way to calm himself down, he imagined dropping a piano on top of Remy’s head...It helped.

“Right, of course he did,” Roman blushed. He did not like the way Remy was grinning at him, eyes flickering between Roman and Virgil, and Roman found he was relieved when lunch ended...even if it _did_ mean that Remy and Virgil would be heading off together.

“Come on, Princey,” Elliot said once the other two had disappeared into the crowd. “Let’s get to class.”

“Only Virgil can call me that,” Roman blurted out.

He didn’t know why but the nickname didn’t sound right coming from anyone else, it was for his best friend and his best friend alone.

“Of course, sorry,” Elliot said, smirking.

“What?” Roman snapped.

“Nothing,” Elliot said. They were quiet for a few seconds, then, “You know, Remy really isn’t that bad.”

Roman snorted. “Okay.”

“I’m serious,” Elliot insisted. “I know he comes off a little strong but he’s a good guy. He really just wants to help.”

“How do you know him anyway?” Roman said.

“Same way we met Virgil, I am patient at his dad’s office and I ran into him as I was leaving one day,” Elliot said. “He invited me out and we’ve been friends ever since.”

Damn Picani. This all lead back to him...If Roman ever met this doctor- Oh boy.

“Is that allowed? I mean, you becoming friends with your therapist’s kid?” Roman asked.

“Well, sure, I guess,” Elliot shrugged. “As long as Dr. Picani doesn’t tell him what we talk about then it’s fine.”

“And you trust Picani?” Roman said.

“I think it’s impossible not to once you meet him,” Elliot said, “which I’m sure you will.”

Roman wanted to ask Elliot why they were so confident about that but the two of them had finally reached their class and there wasn’t much time for talking once they went in.

Roman was quick to learn that while outside of school Logan was “Mama Lo”, one of Virgil and Thomas’s dads, Patton’s husband, a friend and guardian to Roman, _inside_ school hours, he was just Mr. Sanders, History Teacher.

He didn’t treat Roman any different from the rest of the students, there was no favouritism or any sign at all that he knew Roman in any other way except as a kid he was there to teach.

Roman was honestly glad of this. He didn’t want any of the kids having a reason to hate him, most of them had been sure that Roman would be treated differently due to how Logan knew him.

After all, it was common knowledge to just about everyone that Roman Prince was the very best of friends with Mr. Sanders’s son.

* * *

  
Over the next couple of weeks, Roman wouldn’t have much time to worry about Remy, Elliot and their weird budding friendship with Virgil; if he was being truthful, Roman barely saw Virgil at all. Between Roman’s ballet lessons, homework, and the fact that Virgil now had a little brother that he had to take care of a lot, the only time they really saw each other was during school hours, and that wasn’t nearly enough time.

Roman was hoping that would change soon, but he wasn’t too confident; it was a big year for Roman’s ballet studio and with him being the youngest in his group, he knew that he had to work twice as hard to prove himself.

He hadn’t been too proud of his efforts lately though, so when their dance instructor Kathy had announced that the cast list for their production of Cinderella was up, he trudged behind everyone else a lot slower to get a look.

A few people shot him some nasty stares as he wandered over and one of the boys, Jermaine even said “what makes you so special?”

Roman didn’t understand what they were so annoyed about but when his eyes scanned the piece of paper and he found his name, he worked it out pretty quick.

 **The Prince** \- _Roman Prince_  
  
Roman had gotten the part that every male had wanted.

He was The Prince.

Thomas would be thrilled.

Roman himself could scarcely believe what he was reading; he was the prince? Him? They had thought he was good enough?!

Roman was so happy, so delighted, he had worked for this, and finally, he was getting one of the most important roles! Gone were the days of being a tree, he was going to be somebody! He was-

“Fattie.”

Okay...Not exactly the word he was going for.

Jermaine was evidently taking this all very personally, because he had stormed over to Kathy and was gesturing angrily at Roman.

“This is unacceptable!” Jermaine said. “Some of us have been doing this for way longer than that oaf! Why should _he_ get the part?”

_Hey!_

“It was obvious to me that Roman kept up with practice over the summer where a few of you so clearly slipped up,” Kathy said. “He has earned the part.”

Roman had always liked Kathy. She was a real no-nonsense woman, she told people exactly what she thought without fear or shame. She always made Roman think of Megan.

“Bullshit!” Jermaine shouted. “He doesn’t deserve it and you know it! We need people with actual talent and,” he scoffed, looking Roman over critically, “a suitable physique.”

_Okay, no worries, Roman. He’s just jealous. You’re fine._

But glancing around, Roman saw that almost everyone had started critiquing him and he felt extremely vulnerable under their gaze.

“Mmm,” one of the girls said. “Maybe Jermaine has a point.”

There were murmurs of agreement and Roman swallowed thickly. He had always known he was big-boned, and yeah, he was muscular, but fat? He had never really thought of that.

“That’s enough,” Kathy ordered. “If you have any issues with the list then you can come see me later, but I assure you that nothing about the casting will change, so get used to it now.”

A few more grumbles were heard around the room, but one look from their instructor silenced everyone, and soon they were back at it, Roman feeling a lot heavier, emotionally or otherwise, than before.

 

* * *

 

As Roman put his costume in the trunk of his car one of the other dancers approached him. He eyed her nervously, not wanting to deal with more scrutiny. He just wanted to get home. He had never spoken to this girl much, she was fairly shy, but he knew her name was Stephanie...and that she was probably going to tell him off too.

She smiled at him.

“Hey Roman,” she said softly, “I just wanted to congratulate you.”

“Oh,” Roman said, taken-aback. “I....Thank you.”

“Don’t let what they said get to you,” she continued. “You should have heard some of the girls in the change rooms, the things they were calling me.”

“Right...you’re Cinderella,” he smiled. “Well done.”

“Thanks,” Stephanie said brightly. “I still can’t believe it..It’s..I don’t even know,” she giggled. “Anyway, I know you’ll make a great prince, I mean, you already are one-” she broke off, her cheeks reddening. “I mean- Oh God, why do I open my mouth?”

Roman chuckled. “It’s okay, I understand,” he said. He had heard quite a few jokes in regards to his last name during his lifetime. “I appreciate what you’re saying.”

“I can’t believe it,” Stephanie repeated, shaking her head. “I’ve gotta go,” she added., “But I just wanted to say...Good job and uh...yeah.”

“You too,” Roman said. “I look forward to doing this with you. I am certain you will be the perfect princess!”

He wasn’t exactly in the mood for positivity at the current time, but he had long ago established the type of person he would portray himself as.

In the words of a Disney Queen, _conceal, don’t feel._

_You have a part to play, Roman, and an audience watching. Don’t let them down._

“I hope so,” Stephanie said. “Well, I’ll see you around, Roman.” 

She waved and then she was gone.

Roman drove in silence. He didn’t particularly feel like listening to any music after the day he had had, he just wanted to get home and forget about everything.

Oddly enough, he found himself wanting some reassurance from his parents, so once he got inside, he asked Samuel where he had seen them last.

“The conservatory, Mr. Prince,” the butler said.

Roman went in that direction, Jack following closely behind. The best time of day for Jack was when Roman returned from school, and he wouldn’t leave his owner’s side until it came to the worst time of day for Jack...when Roman _left_ for school.

“You’re home late,” Rohan commented when he spotted his son. “School finished hours ago, did it not?”

“Yes,” Roman said.

“Where were you?” Mandy enquired.

Roman bent down to kiss her on the cheek; _he had a part to play,_ he was a dutiful son.

“Ballet,” he said. “I got cast as one of the lead roles in our production of Cinderella.”

He hadn’t expected much of a reaction from his mother and father but he would have liked something a little bit more than the blank expressions he received.

“You still do that girly shit?” Rohan said.

Roman sighed. 

_Good son. Play your part._

His father had never liked the fact that he did ballet, nor did his mother truthfully, and they had always viewed it as some silly fad. It had been Megan and Henry who had taken him to all his lessons as a child and had encouraged him to keep at it if he really loved it. 

“Yeah,” he said tiredly.

“Huh, I could have sworn you had given it up by now,” Rohan said. “Good for you, I suppose.”

“Thank you,” Roman said. His mother, who had returned her attention to typing on her phone, gave him a thumbs up and that was more than he could wished for.  
  
“You wouldn’t believe it though.”

“What’s that?” Rohan said.

“A lot of the other dancers said I shouldn’t get the part,” Roman said. “They said I was too young, and even too fat. How ridiculous is that?” he forced a laugh.

“Well,” Rohan said slowly. “I mean, they aren’t entirely wrong. You could stand to lose a little weight. You did eat a lot more than the rest of us when we were overseas, and you may have gained a bit.”

_Ah._

_Play your part, Roman. Don’t cry now._

Roman lifted his chin and blinked rapidly. “Right...thanks for the honesty,” he said. “I’m going to go upstairs. I’ve got lots of homework and stuff to do, you know.”

He walked as fast he could towards his bedroom and shut the door, barely missing Jack who had darted in behind him.

Roman pulled off his shirt and walked over to the mirror, examining himself. He didn’t think he was fat...Sure, his stomach wasn’t the flattest it could be but he was muscular, toned. Big, certainly...but not fat.

Unless….

Well…

Just because he didn’t see it didn’t mean it wasn’t true. Others would notice the things he didn’t, and his dad may not always have time for him, but he knew that his father was at least honest.

_Maybe they’re right._

There was that bitterness again, that little voice of self-doubt that was doubling in size every day, and suddenly Roman found that he couldn’t look at himself anymore.

He grabbed a wad of sticky notes from his desk and scribbled himself some messages before hanging them up all over his mirror until all he could see was his face. It was important for him to have these reminders whenever he felt confused about who he was.

With that done, he flopped down onto his bed as his mind swirled with negative thoughts.

There had to have been some truth to what they had all said or they wouldn’t have said it at all.

Roman swallowed the lump in his throat. He would not cry. Princes did not cry.

_Play your part, Roman._

He was happy. He had everything he could hope for. He had an audience and a part to play.

He was-

“Mr. Prince?” the knock on his bedroom door alerted Roman to the arrival of Samuel and he quickly yanked his shirt back on.

“Yeah?” he called back. “Come in.”

“Dinner is ready, Mr. Prince,” Samuel said.

Roman’s stomach rumbled. It had been a long time since lunch, but the events of the day were catching up with him and he found he wasn’t really that hungry, after all.

“I think I’m going to miss it tonight,” Roman said. “I’ll get something later if I need to.”

“Okay, sir,” Samuel said. “I will let your father know.”

“Thank you,” Roman said.

Jack whined and rested his chin on Roman’s legs as Samuel closed the door again. The dog seemed to sense something wasn’t quite right with his absolutely favourite human in the whole entire world.

“I’m okay,” Roman said as he gave Jack a pat.

But indeed he wasn’t, his mind was racing and no matter what, he couldn’t seem to silence it. He knew there was one person who could help him figure it all out and he fished for his phone in his pocket.

**To: The Royal Knightmare**

_Meet me?_

The reply was almost instantaneous, as though he had been sitting by the phone awaiting Roman’s text.

**From: The Royal Knightmare**

_Okay._

Roman didn’t bother clarifying with a time or a place.

He knew that Virgil would know exactly when and where to go.

It wasn’t the first time they had done this.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Food mention, blood mention, child abuse mention, swearing, mention of illness and body insecurities/body shaming.

* * *

 

It was just before midnight when Roman left the house; it was easy to sneak out because the staff and his parents had retired to bed so nobody was around to stop him.

Not to mention that Roman had been doing this for so many years that he knew which steps creaked the loudest, knew which rooms to avoid passing by because the sleeper inside awoke easily, which doors banged the loudest. He knew how to get out without anyone noticing.

Once he got outside successfully, he debated whether or not he should drive; it was certain to get him there faster and a lot safer for this time of night but on the other hand, the walk would do him good. The more exercise he could do, the more weight he would lose and that would prove to everyone that he was worthy enough for the lead male role in the ballet.

Roman wrapped his jacket tighter around himself, Jack jogging to keep up with his owner's fast stride. Roman knew the dog well enough to know that he would have started howling the second Roman had left so he had figured it was best to just bring Jack along.

There was a park that Roman had discovered as a child, a place that was hidden in a canopy of thick trees with play equipment so old that it was nearly always abandoned. Roman had come across the park by pure chance one day while on a walk with Jack, and it had quickly become a place of solace for him, somewhere he could be alone with his feelings and his dog...that was until Virgil had found it too.

Roman remembered that day well. Virgil had been incredibly sad and was planning on running away, when he had stopped for a rest at the park. They had run into each other there, and Roman had calmed him down, given him a fake sword as a goodbye gift, and wished him luck.

Only Virgil didn’t end up leaving after all, he had stayed, he had become best friends with Roman and from that day forward _the_ park became _their_ park.  

It was where they went whenever they needed to get away from everyone else for awhile. When one of them was struggling and needed to talk, they would message the other, and they’d meet by the swing set at midnight.

They had both been so good at sneaking around even as children, and were always so conscious of the fact that they had to return before daybreak that neither of their families had ever realised their absences.

When they were at the park, they were so secluded and cut off from everything else that Roman always felt as though they were only two people left in the world.

The park was much closer to Virgil’s house than his own, so Roman wasn’t surprised to see the other boy already there, seated on one of the swings. He wasn’t swinging though, Virgil never swung. The equipment was so decrepit that it terrified him, unlike Roman, who would push himself so high that Virgil would shout at him to stop through his giggles.

Tonight, however, Roman wasn’t up to making either of them laugh, and when he sat on the other swing he kept his feet planted firmly to the ground, something he was sure that Virgil noticed.

“Hey Princey,” Virgil’s voice was so soft, almost timid, but it still resonated loudly through the quiet night air.

“Hey.”

They didn’t talk for some time, the chains of the swings groaned under their weight as they sat, both lost in their own thoughts. Not for the first time since returning home did Roman wonder just what had changed between the pair of them. He didn’t bring it up and Virgil didn’t mention it but it was there, a tension that had never been there before.

Roman hoped it wouldn’t damage or change their friendship too much; he couldn’t bear the thought of not having Virgil around.

After what felt like a decade Virgil finally spoke. “So, what’s up?” he said.

_Yes, Roman. What. Is. up? Why did you drag your friend out of bed in the middle of the freaking night?_

If he were honest with Virgil, Roman didn’t know. He wasn’t sure why he had asked Virgil to meet up with him, he just knew that he wanted to see his best friend, to have a moment alone with him without his new friends or anyone else.

Roman, although knowing it was impossible, just wanted things to be the way they once had been.

“Princey?”

Virgil was staring at him, frowning slightly as if he was trying to work out who the stranger sitting on the opposite swing was. Roman swallowed. Every day he could see Virgil slipping further away from him like sand through his fingers, and the harder he tried to hold on the faster he let go.

“Dude, I’m fucking freezing so if you’re not going to tell me what’s going on then-”

“I get the lead,” Roman said quickly.

“What?” Virgil said.

“In the ballet,” Roman said. “I’m...I’m The Prince.”

He wasn’t even sure why he was telling Virgil this, Virgil probably didn’t care to hear it, Virgil was cooler and better than Roman was...God, Roman didn’t even know why Virgil put up with a loser such as himself.

Virgil smiled, nudging Roman’s foot with his own. “Man, that’s great,” he said and he sounded genuinely proud. “I knew you could do it. You’ve been working so hard. Congratulations.”

“Mm, thanks,” Roman said.

“Geez, don’t sound too excited there, will you? People will think you’re actually happy,” Virgil said, rolling his eyes.

“Sorry,” Roman muttered.

Virgil tilted his head from side to side and frowned at Roman. “Alright,” he sighed. “What’s going on with you?”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“I’m talking about the fact that you brought me out here in the middle of the night to tell me this instead of calling me straight after your practice to scream about how you got the lead,” Virgil clarified. “Something is bothering you.”

_Curse Virgil for being able to read me so well,_ Roman thought moodily.

He removed his hands from the chains of the swing and placed them in his lap, looking out across the field at Jack who was trying to climb the slide. “It’s nothing,” he said. “I’m just being stupid.”

“What is it?” Virgil demanded.

“Honestly, I’m fine,” Roman said. It was beginning to scare him how quickly and easily he could lie these days.

“Princey.”

“It’s just-” Roman exhaled, he knew it was stupid of him to be thinking about and Virgil was sure to agree. “It’s just...The other students said I don’t deserve the role because I’m too fat and I don’t have the body for it, and my parents agreed with them.”

Roman was met with silence and he pretended to have his attention on Jack, who had given up on climbing the slide and was now growling at it instead. Roman knew that Virgil was trying to find the nicest way possible to tell him that he was an idiot.

“What the _fuck_?”

Okay, maybe not the nicest way but it was direct, it got Virgil’s point across. Understood.

“I’m sorry,” Roman blurted out. “I told you that it was stupid.”

“Not you!” Virgil snapped so harshly that Jack came over to investigate what was going on. “Your dumbass parents!”

“Virgil, you can’t say that,” Roman said.

“I just did,” Virgil bit back. “The students saying it? That’s bad enough! But your own damn parents? What the fuck is wrong with them?”

“Nothing, they’re just looking out for me,” Roman said. “Maybe they’re right.”

“The hell they are!” Virgil growled. It had been a long time since Roman had seen him so fired up. “If you believe that then why are we here?”

“I don’t know, I just-”

“Because you _know_ they’re wrong,” Virgil interjected. “I can’t believe they would even say that.”

“They could be onto something though,” Roman said. “I suppose I did eat a lot when we were away.”

“They’re not onto shit,” Virgil said. “They’re _full_ of it, more like. There’s nothing wrong with you, okay? Don’t believe them for one goddamn second. You’re nowhere near fat and even if you were, which you aren’t by the way, then who the hell would care?”

“I don’t-”

“Nobody important, that’s who!” Virgil snapped, not even giving Roman a chance to answer. “You think that your weight determines your talent? You think that your figure decides how successful you’ll be? No. You work harder than anyone in that damn ballet school, and who got the part? Not those other students, not your idiotic parents, _you_ did.” He stopped to catch his breath but Roman knew he wasn’t finished. “You did because you put in the effort, you practice and practice until your feet are bleeding, I’ve seen you barely able to walk at times because you refuse to give up. They don’t know shit about you so don’t you _dare_ let them try and make you feel that you aren’t good enough because you are…. you’re even better than that.”

Roman didn’t quite know what to say to Virgil’s little outburst. He hadn’t expected his friend to react in such a way, and he was almost regretting his decision to tell Virgil about this at all.

“Okay,” he said quietly, not because he necessarily agreed with Virgil but because he didn’t have it in him to argue anymore.

Virgil gave a tight nod, the anger still prominent on his face. “I can’t believe your parents,” he said. “That’s abuse, you know?”

Okay… Now, _that_ was laughable.

“Abuse?” Roman echoed. “No, it isn’t.”

Virgil scoffed. “Yes,” he said. “It is.”

“They don’t hit me or anything,” Roman said. “They’ve never laid a hand on me.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Virgil replied.

“Ah,” Roman waved a hand at him. “What do you know?”

Virgil quirked an eyebrow and Roman seriously considered punching himself in the face. Had he really just said that to Virgil? Virgil, the kid who had been adopted by Logan and Patton because he had been raised in a household where he had been hurt constantly.

“I’m sorry,” Roman said. “I didn’t mean to- It just slipped out...I wasn’t thinking.”

_You never do, you idiot._

“It’s okay,” Virgil shrugged. “Forget it. But it proves my point, doesn’t it? I know what they’re doing to you.”

“They’re not doing anything,” Roman said, and he couldn’t explain why he was so defensive of his parents, he just was. “They’re not bad parents. They just want to help me.”

“By making you feel inferior? Are they really helping you if you’re doubting yourself this much?” Virgil phrased it as a question but Roman knew he wasn’t really asking. “There isn’t just one type of abuse.”

“You don’t even know them,” Roman said, wincing as Jack attempted to crawl up his leg. He picked up the dog, placing him on his lap and using him as an excuse to avoid Virgil’s gaze. “You don’t know them,” he repeated and it was true, Virgil had never met them before.

“Maybe not,” Virgil said. “But I know you.”

“I’m fine,” Roman said.

_That’s right, Roman. Play your part. There’s always an audience._

“Then why are we here?” Virgil asked for the second time that night. “You wouldn’t have texted me if it wasn’t bothering you.”

“That’s not what I texted you,” Roman said.

“Then why?”

“Because _you’re_ bothering me,” Roman said before he could stop himself.

Virgil looked quite taken-aback. “Me?”

“Yes,” Roman breathed out slowly, might as well say it now. “We haven’t spent any time together since I’ve been back.”

_And I hate it. I miss my best friend. I’m lonely and I don’t know how much longer I can take this because you’re one of the only people who cares about me._

Roman opted for keeping those realisations to himself.

“It’s not like I haven’t invited you to hang out,” Virgil said. “You’re always busy.”

“Yeah, you ask me to hang out with you and Remy and Elliot,” Roman said. “You’re never without them nowadays.”  

VIrgil groaned. “Not this _again_ ,” he said. “Why do you hate them so much?”

“I don’t hate them,” Roman mumbled.

“Bullshit. You hated them from the second you heard about them,” Virgil said. “And I don’t get why. I know Remy can be full of it, but you didn’t even give him a chance before you declared him your enemy. And Elliot’s never done anything wrong to you.”

_They took you away from me._

“I don’t hate them,” Roman repeated meekly.

“I’m not going to stop being friends with either of them,” Virgil said not unkindly. “I really like them and I think that if you gave them even half a chance then you would too.”

“Maybe,” Roman said doubtfully. “I don’t hate them.” He was starting to sound like a broken record.

“I know, Princey,” Virgil sighed, and he sounded exhausted. “You’ve said that already.”

And they didn’t talk anymore about it.

Later, when Roman was walking home with a half asleep Jack in his arms, he recalled a time when he and Virgil had met up at their park one night shortly after Virgil’s tenth birthday.

_Virgil had been very quiet that night and Roman had sensed something was wrong because Virgil hadn’t even been listening when Roman had been telling him the tale of how princess Sally had escaped the evil clutches of the fearsome beast Jack._

_It had irritated Roman to no end that his audience was not captivated and finally he had asked Virgil what was wrong, if only to get the attention back to his storytelling._

_Virgil had regarded Roman with a very curious stare._

_“We’ll be friends forever, won’t we, Princey?” he had asked._

_Roman had smiled, sure and strong just as a prince should be. “Even longer,” he had answered._

 

* * *

 

Roman had only just returned from his morning run when he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. Taking it out, he was bewildered to see it was Virgil who was calling him; after the fiasco of the night before, he hadn’t been too sure that Virgil still wanted to talk to him.

He answered quickly, not wanting Virgil to hang up if the line kept ringing (which he was known to do, as he detested talking on the phone).

“Hello?” Roman said after accepting the call.

“What are you doing today?” Virgil asked in lieu of introduction.

“I have no plans,” Roman said suspiciously.

“Cool. So, it’s my grandpa’s birthday today,” Virgil said. “And we’re going to his house this afternoon. Do you want to come?”

Roman thought about that. Was Virgil just inviting him because of what Roman had said the night before? Did Virgil feel like he _had_ to invite Roman, or did he actually _want_ to invite Roman?

Either way, it had been a long time since Roman had seen Virgil’s grandparents, so he was interested. “Will Remy and Elliot be there?”

A pause.

“No.”

“Okay, I’ll come,” Roman said.

He heard Virgil groan. “You are unbelievable. Be ready by one.”

He hung up and Roman glanced at the clock; he still had some time to buy Ethan a birthday present. He grabbed his wallet off the desk and left, not even bothering to tell his mother or father where he was going this time.

 

* * *

 

Thomas let out a loud squeal as soon as Roman climbed into the back of the Sanders’ car with the young child and Virgil. “You’re back!” he cried, bouncing up and down in his booster seat. “It’s The Prince!” he told everyone in the car.

“I’m delighted to see you again, my young friend,” Roman said and Thomas giggled, clapping his hands together.

“He has been asking about you non-stop, Roman,” Logan said from the front. “You have made quite an impression on Thomas, it would seem.”

“That hardly surprises me,” Roman said. “I am nothing short of amazing.”

Virgil snorted. “You’re so full of shit.”

“Virgil, what have we said about the language in front of your brother?” Patton said.

“Oh, crap, sorry.”

“Virgil!”

“Man, it’s hard,” Virgil whined. “I am not role-model material.”

“I don’t know,” Roman said, smiling at him. “I think you’re doing an okay job.”

“Shit, yeah!” Thomas cried and Patton gasped.

“Thomas!”

“Then again maybe not,” Roman laughed and Virgil shoved him.

By the time they had reached Patton’s parents house, they had all convinced Thomas to stop swearing and everyone was in good spirits as they got out of the car. Harmony was first to welcome them and allowed them all into the house, gesturing to an enormous pile of presents on the table. “You just missed Megan,” she said as a way of explanation. “She dropped in on the way to work to give Ethan his gifts. She’s certainly doing well for herself to be able to afford all this, isn’t she?” she smiled. “She’s a sweet girl.”

“That is debatable,” Logan scoffed.

Roman and Virgil exchanged grins. They knew Logan didn’t mean it; he and Megan always bullied each other, but they were also always the first to defend each other when it came down to it. Logan and Megan’s friendship often reminded Roman of his and Virgil’s, so hearing Logan complain about her was always amusing.

“You be nice,” Harmony said, wagging a finger at Logan who insisted he was nothing but.

Thomas pulled on Harmony’s arm. “Grammy,” he said. “Can I have some cookies, please and thank you? I’m hungry.”

“Well, lunch will be ready soon,” she said but when Thomas pouted, she added, “but I guess one couldn’t hurt.”

Thomas cheered and bolted away into the kitchen as Ethan wandered downstairs; he greeted all his family and then smiled in Roman’s direction.

“Harmony, you didn’t tell me we would have royalty in attendance,” he said. “You might have warned me, I would have dressed more appropriately.” He gave Roman a bow. “Wonderful to see you again, your majesty,” he said.

“You too, sir,” Roman said. “Happy birthday.”

He smiled, but in all honesty, he didn’t like what he was seeing. The last time Roman had visited Ethan and Harmony was just before he had left for England, and Ethan was looking much more frail then he had looked back then; he was thin, pale and walked at a much slower pace.

However, his spirit hadn’t diminished at all because he pointed at Roman and said,

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” Roman said.

“As if I’m about to drop dead right where I stand,” Ethan said. “I have no plans of doing such things today or in the near future. An old man gets one bout of pneumonia and suddenly everyone is writing eulogies for him.”

“Ethan, you can’t blame people for being concerned about you,” Harmony said.

“What good will that do?” Ethan said. “No, I don’t want any of you worrying about me, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.” He patted Roman on the shoulder as he walked by. “Now, where is this youngest grandson of mine?”

“He is probably eating all of your cookies right now,” Logan said and Ethan chuckled.

“That’s Patton’s boy alright,” he said.

“You didn’t tell me he got sick,” Roman whispered to Virgil as they all followed Ethan to the kitchen.

“You were in England,” Virgil said. “I couldn’t really contact you.”

“Still, it would have been nice to know,” Roman said.

“Sorry,” Virgil said. “I guess, I didn’t think, I’ll remember next time.”

Hopefully there would be no next time but Virgil sounded apologetic enough that Roman dropped it.

The Sanders and Roman all sat down at the table, Thomas running over to sit on Ethan’s knee. “Look Pop-Pop,” he said, producing a folded up piece of paper from his pocket. “I did a picture for you!”

“Did you now?” Ethan said as he accepted the paper, laying it on the table and opening it up. “Well, I can’t see this,” he said and he took his son’s glasses, making Thomas laugh. “Let’s get a better look,” Ethan said as he put on Patton’s glasses and squinted through them. “My, isn’t this something? You know what, Thomas, I think a drawing such as this one deserves a place of honor! How about we stick this one right on the fridge?”

“Yes, please and thank you!” Thomas said happily, throwing his arms around Ethan.

Patton smiled. “I can’t see what’s going on but it sounds adorable!” Ethan chuckled, handing the glasses to Logan who slid them back onto Patton’s face. “I was right,” Patton said when he saw Logan. “It _is_ adorable!”

Logan blushed and Patton kissed his nose as Thomas went to stick the drawing on the fridge. “They’re butterflies!” he told Harmony. “I love butterflies! They’re so pretty!”

“They are,” Harmony smiled.

Ethan turned to Logan. “Your household sure loves pollinators,” he said. “How _are_ the bees, Logan?”

“They are declining in numbers at an alarming speed,” Logan said seriously. “They need dire help.”

There was a moment of silence as the room processed that information. “Well,” Ethan said in an attempt to break the awkwardness. “Don’t we all?”

“Amen,” Virgil muttered but when everyone looked at him worriedly, he was quick to change the subject, “Uh..Did you hear Roman got cast as the male lead in his upcoming production of Cinderella?”

Roman felt the heat rise in his cheeks as he became the centre of attention.

“Kiddo, that’s great!” Patton said. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“It’s no big deal,” Roman said.

“It is too a big deal,” Ethan insisted. “Good on you!”

Thomas was delighted when they explained to him what was going on and he hugged Roman as tightly as he could. Not only was the prince a prince, he could also dance!

“Okay,” Harmony said a little later on, “Roman, I know you’ve never been a huge fan of sweets but would you like to try some of the cake with us? It’s carrot cake.”

“Yuck!” Thomas made a disgusted face.

“Don’t worry,” Harmony laughed. “We have a special cupcake for you.”

Thomas beamed. “Thank you, Grammy!”

“No, thank you,” Roman said in answer to Harmony’s question. “I’ll be fine.”

He should avoid eating anything sugary or fattening if he wanted to keep his weight down, it was fine, really.

He was fine.

He had this under control.

He just needed to start watching his calorie intake was all.  

Roman felt eyes on him as Harmony cut up the cake, (Ethan begging people not to sing happy birthday to him because he never knew what to do with himself when they did), and he raised his head to see Virgil staring at him, a frown on his face.

Roman, knowing Virgil was sure to lecture him, went near him as little as possible during the duration of the afternoon.

Ethan retired to bed early, claiming he needed a nap, he was grateful for them all for coming and he told them he loved them before he climbed up the stairs, vanishing out of sight.

“How is he really?” Patton asked Harmony worriedly once his dad was gone.

Harmony rubbed her face with her hands. “He says he’s okay,” she said.

“He’s lying,” Virgil said with a pointed look at Roman. “It seems to be a pretty common occurrence lately.”

Harmony looked at them both then back towards the stairs. “Maybe he is, Virgil,” she said, “but even so, we can’t push him. Sometimes all you can do is remind the people you care about that you’re there for them.” She looked at Roman as she spoke and he wondered if she knew more than she let on. “Sometimes, that’s enough.”

Virgil shook his head. “And sometimes, it isn’t,” he said.

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Swearing, mentions/talk of death & illnesses

* * *

 

Two weeks after Ethan’s birthday party, Roman decided it was finally time to go and see his grandmother again. He hadn’t seen her since his return from England, and he knew that nobody else had gone to check up on her, so she was sure to be lonely. 

Roman was rather surprised when he told Virgil what he was going to do and his friend had asked to come, too. Of course, Roman had agreed and so on his way to his grandmother, he stopped off at the Sanders home first.

Virgil came out of the house followed by Thomas who immediately pointed at Roman’s car and screamed, “it’s The Prince!” 

Roman saw Virgil whisper something to Thomas as he locked the front door and the two of them walked over to the vehicle. “Will you be joining us today, Little Prince?” Roman said with a smile once Virgil had opened the car door. 

“Is that okay?” Virgil asked. “I didn’t know I’d be babysitting.” 

“I’m not a baby!” Thomas said, pouting and folding his arms across his chest.

“It’s fine,” Roman chuckled. “The more, the merrier.” 

“Cool,” Virgil said. Roman waited a few minutes while Virgil set up Thomas’s booster seat and made sure Thomas was comfortable, amazed as always at how gentle Virgil was whenever he was talking to his brother.

“You better drive carefully,” Virgil said, sliding into the passenger seat after Thomas was all set. “If anything happens to him, you don’t want to know what I’d do.”

“I’d rather not find out,” Roman replied. “So where’s Mama Lo and Mr. Patton?” 

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Pa’s doing Saturday detention, and Dad’s visiting Gramps at the hospital.”

“How’s he doing?” Roman asked worriedly.

Only a few days after Ethan’s birthday he had being sent back to the hospital with pneumonia again, and apparently it was much more aggressive this time around. 

Virgil bit his lip and checked to make sure that Thomas wasn’t listening in. “He’s not too good,” he admitted in a low voice. “I’m really worried about him.” 

“He’s tough,” Roman said.

“That doesn’t mean he’s invincible,” Virgil pointed out.

Roman didn’t want to think about it. “He’ll be okay,” was all he said. 

They didn’t talk much the rest of the way, and Roman had to wonder when the silences between them had changed from comfortable and familiar to awkward and strange. He had a feeling it was to do with the fact that they had barely had a moment alone since Roman had been back, thanks to his ballet and Virgil’s stupid new friends. 

It was a relief when they reached the nursing home and could get out of the car. Roman waited while Virgil helped Thomas out and the three of them headed inside.

Roman noticed that Thomas’s grip on Virgil’s hand tightened the further they walked in, he supposed it was pretty confronting for a child to see so many sick and sleeping elderly people, and he grabbed Thomas’s free hand, bringing a smile to the boy’s face. 

Roman’s grandmother was sitting in her room reading but she looked up when she heard them approaching. “Ah,” she said, closing her book with a snap. “I was beginning to think you had forgotten me.”

“Of course not,” Roman said, dropping Thomas’s hand and walking over to kiss her cheek. “I’m sorry I haven’t been in to see you sooner.”

“Yes, well, I expect you’ve been busy,” she nodded her head at the other two boys. “You’ve bought company.”

“This is Virgil Sanders, Gran,” he said. It was strange to Roman that his best friend of many years had never even met his family, but then again, Virgil had never even been inside Roman’s house either. “And that’s Thomas,” he added as Thomas hid his face against Virgil’s leg. “He’s a little shy.” That was a lie but Thomas was obviously not up to talking.

“Of course he is,” Mrs. Prince said. “You brought him into a strange place with weird smells and sick people. Turn the television on, find some cartoons or something for him to watch, there’s a good lad.” 

Roman did as she asked and Thomas moved away from Virgil and settled down in front of the tv. 

“I suppose I should introduce myself,” Roman’s grandmother said to Virgil once Thomas was engrossed in his cartoons. “Aurora Prince,” she held out her hand for Virgil to shake, which he did.

“Aurora?” he smiled. “Like Sleeping Beauty?”

“Would you believe me if I told you my husband’s name was Phillip,” she asked, and Virgil chuckled. 

“That’s incredible,” he said, shaking his head.

“We had to start calling him by his nickname eventually,” Aurora sighed. “People thought we were pulling their leg whenever we told them.”

“Wait until you hear where they met,” Roman said eagerly. 

“Where?”

Aurora leaned forward as if she harboured a great secret. “Disneyland.”

“Okay, now I know you’re messing with me,” Virgil laughed.

“No, it’s all true. Roman, get your grandfather’s birth certificate, would you?” Aurora said. “It’s in the bottom drawer of my desk.”

Roman did just that and Virgil snorted when he read the name Phillip Prince, there clear as day. 

“Wow. I feel like this explains so much about you,” he said to Roman who scoffed.

“Shut up,” he said, rolling his eyes.

Roman returned the certificate and the two teens sat down on the chairs across from Aurora. 

“So, you’re a Sanders boy, huh?” she said to Virgil. “I know your Aunt Megan well.”

“Yeah,” Virgil said. “She’s mentioned you before.”

“She’s certainly an interesting woman,” Mrs. Prince nodded. “I knew your fathers, too. They probably wouldn’t remember me though.”

“You knew Virgil’s dads?” Roman said. He had been aware that his grandmother and Megan had become friends over the years but he didn’t think that she had known Patton or Logan.

“Not personally but I heard about them enough,” Mrs. Prince said. “That Logan was always smart, always top of his class. He used to beat my daughter’s ex-husband at everything. They always had an issue with each other.”

“You mean Anthony Paul?” Virgil asked. “He had problems with everybody.”

“I was glad when Joyce left him,” Mrs. Prince agreed. “Although now she’s run off to England and married some other fellow and I don’t even see her. It wouldn’t matter to her whether I was dead or not.”

“Gran, don’t say that,” Roman said. 

“Don’t worry about me,” she said. “I’m an old woman, I don’t matter,” she looked at him sternly. “You, however, what’s going on with you?”

“What do you mean?” Roman asked. 

“You’re looking pale,” she said. 

“I’m good,” Roman said. Why was everyone worrying so much about him?

“Are you eating enough?” she said, scrutinizing him. 

Roman didn’t like the way that Virgil lifted his head and glanced at Roman at these words. 

“Gran.” He forced a chuckle. “I’m fine.”

And really, he was.

So maybe he hadn’t been sleeping well but that was only because he was trying to keep up with his studies, and yes, maybe he had lost a bit of weight because he hadn’t been eating very much in the past couple weeks, but that was fine too because he was going to get the perfect figure he needed for the prince role.

It was fine.

He was fine.

He had it all under control.

_ Really.  _

“Yeah,” Aurora said, “and I’m the Queen of England.” 

“Really? I didn’t see you over there,” Roman said.

“Don’t you be cheeky with me, boy,” she said. “And don’t you go lying to me either.”

“I’m not lying,” Roman insisted. 

He knew his grandmother didn’t believe him but she didn’t say anything more on it and he was grateful. Instead, she surprised him with an odd request. 

“Go buy some chocolates from the machine around the front,” she said as she handed him some coins.

“No, thanks, I don’t want any.”

“Not for you,” she tutted. “The little one,” she pointed at Thomas. “All I have is hard boiled crap that the nurses here seem to think we love.” 

“Uh, alright,” Roman said, confused. He took the money and glanced at Virgil, silently asking if he would be okay. 

“Go on,” Aurora said. “Your friend will be fine.” 

“Okay, I’ll be back in a minute then.”

Roman was no fool. He knew that as soon as he left the room they would start talking about him, so the sooner he could go and come back, the better.

 

* * *

  
  
Aurora turned to Virgil as soon as Roman had stepped out.

“What’s going on with him?” she said. “And don’t say nothing, I’m old but I’m not senile yet.”

“I don’t know,” Virgil said honestly. “I know a few people made fun of his weight and maybe that’s getting him down, but otherwise…” he trailed off into silence. He really didn’t know what was going on with Roman, which annoyed him, because he usually knew  _ everything  _ about his best friend.

Aurora sighed. “He’s always been sensitive,” she said. “Things get to him even when he pretends they don’t.”

“He’s a good actor,” Virgil muttered, looking at Thomas who was giggling at something on the television. 

“You know,” Aurora said, “I have two children and three grandchildren, and Roman’s the only one who ever comes to see me. If it weren’t for him, I don’t think I’d try anymore.”

“What are you saying?” Virgil said.

“What I’m saying is that I’m old, I’m tired and I miss my husband,” Aurora said, “and I’m not stupid. I know that my family sees me as an inconvenience and a waste of money.”

“Mrs. Prince-”

“Don’t you go sounding all apologetic,” she said. “I’ve lived a good long life, and I’m not afraid of dying.”

“You’re not?” Virgil said.

“I know it’s hard to for someone so young to believe,” Aurora said with a small smile, “but I’ve accepted it. Death comes for us all eventually and there’s no way to run from it.” 

Virgil shivered. He knew that all too well.

“But what  _ does _ worry me,” she continued on, “is leaving Roman behind. Don’t get me wrong, I love my son, but I know what kind of parents he and his wife are to that boy. I know that they care for him-”

“Do they?” Virgil raised an eyebrow. He found that hard to believe.

“Oh yes,” she nodded. “They just never learnt how to show it. That’s my fault, I suppose. I was never quite a good mother and I guess that’s where my son got his own parenting ideas.” 

“I don’t think that’s true,” Virgil started, but Aurora interrupted him.

“It doesn’t matter now. What matters is making sure that Roman will be okay after I’m gone. He’ll need you.”

“Me?” 

“Obviously,” Aurora said. “You’re his best friend, and I know that you can get through to him better than anyone.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Virgil mumbled. He wasn’t so confident in his ability to help Roman these days, it wasn’t like he hadn’t noticed his friend was heading in a downward spiral. 

“I am,” Aurora said. “I’m not trying to pressure you or tell you what you have to do. I just need to know that someone will be there to keep an eye on him after I go. He will act like it doesn’t affect him, and he’ll be able to fool most people, but not you. You’re smart and you understand him in ways that not many people do.”

“You got all that from meeting me just now?” Virgil said, knowing it was a weak attempt at humor. 

“I got all that from the years of hearing about you from my grandson,” she took Virgil’s hand in her own, squeezing it with a surprisingly strong grip. “Please,” she said. “It would ease my soul to know that someone is there for him.”

“Yeah-Yeah, of course,” Virgil swallowed nervously, “but it’s not like you’re going anywhere anytime soon. You could live for a really long time.”

Aurora leaned back in her chair. “That I could,” she said. “That I could.”

“You could what?” Roman had returned and was standing at the door, a chocolate bar in his hands. “What are you guys talking about?”

“Oh nothing that you need to worry about,” Aurora said.

Roman shrugged and bent down to give Thomas the chocolate. “Thank you!” Thomas gasped and threw his arms around Roman’s neck.

“Yeah,” Aurora said more to herself than to Virgil. “He’ll be okay.”

Virgil wasn’t quite sure he agreed, and he wondered if the woman was trying to convince herself more than him, but he didn’t say anything. 

The last thing she needed was more reason to worry.

 

* * *

 

Logan was home when the three boys returned to the Sanders household and Thomas immediately went over to hug him.

“How’d it go?” Virgil asked as Logan picked up Thomas.

“About as well as an afternoon full of misbehaving teenagers can go,” Logan replied. “What did you all do today?”

“We went to visit Princey’s grandmother,” Virgil said.

“Her house smells funny,” Thomas added in a whisper.

Logan opened his mouth, probably to tell Thomas not to be rude, but was interrupted by the phone ringing. He checked the caller ID and muttered, “it is your dad,” before answering it. “Hello?”

“I wanna talk to Daddy,” Thomas said, reaching for the phone.

“Patton, hold on, Thomas wants to-” Logan suddenly frowned. “Patton? Are you crying?”

Roman couldn’t hear what was happening on the other end but it mustn't have been good because Logan was quick to hand over Thomas to Virgil. 

“I wanna talk,” Thomas whined.

“Not now,” Virgil said quietly. “Go play with your toys for a bit, okay?” 

“Okay,” Thomas sighed and Virgil put him down so he could go and play. 

“Patton? Speak slowly, I cannot understand you,” Logan said into the phone. “Honeybee, you need to breathe- I do not-” there was a pause and then, “oh hello, Harmony. What is going on? I cannot get-”

Another pause as Logan listened and Roman felt Virgil grab his hand. “It’s Grandpa,” he said softly. “I know it. I just know it.” 

“Calm down, it might not be,” Roman said, but the shaken expression on Logan’s face wasn’t painting a positive picture.

“Okay, yes, we will be there right away,” Logan said. “Okay, goodbye,” he hung up the phone and turned to the boys. “We have to go right now.” 

“Go where?” Roman asked.

“It’s Grandpa, isn’t it?” Virgil said.

Logan didn’t reply, but to Roman, that in itself was answer enough. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so hyped for the next chapter... You have no idea.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Panic attack, death mention, car accident, hospitals, illness mention, swearing and negative/anxious thinking.

* * *

 

When Roman walked into the hospital with the Sanders family, he had expected to be met with a much more dramatic scene than the one they found.

Despite what he’d told Virgil, Roman had honestly thought that Ethan had passed away. Roman was fully prepared to have to support the Sanders in their time of need.

So one could imagine his surprise upon seeing Ethan sitting with Harmony outside his hospital room, wearing a face mask but looking healthier than he had in weeks. By the expressions on Logan and Virgil’s faces, Roman figured that he wasn’t the only one startled.

“Grandpa, you’re okay,” Virgil said, letting out a long sigh of relief.

“Better than,” Ethan smiled. “The doctors say I could even be discharged in a couple of days.”

“I thought you said he had gotten worse,” Roman muttered to Virgil who shrugged. “When’s the last time you visited him?”

“A couple days after he was admitted,” Virgil confessed. “He hadn’t looked too good then.”

Roman was surely going to scream. Virgil had made him worry for no real reason at all. 

“I am relieved to see you up and out of bed, Ethan,” Logan said, “but I am afraid I do not understand what is going on. Where is Patton, and why did he sound so distressed on the phone?” 

Harmony and Ethan glanced at each other. “You didn’t happen to have the radio on in the car, by any chance?” Harmony asked.

“No.” Logan frowned. 

“He was in too much of a rush trying to get us here,” Virgil said. 

It was true. Even Roman had been gripping the edge of his seat for dear life.

“That’s why you don’t know,” Ethan said. “It was on the news.”

“What was?” Logan demanded. “What is going on? Where is Patton?” 

Harmony got to her feet. “I’ll take you to him,” she said. “It’s probably better if he tells you anyway.”

_ Tells us what?  _ Roman couldn’t help but wonder as they followed her.

She lead them to the waiting room and pointed to Patton, who was curled up on a chair in the corner of the room, tears sliding down his cheeks. Logan immediately left their group to join Patton’s side.

“Thomas, why don’t you come with me?” Harmony said gently. “We’ll see what fun games we can find at the gift shop.” 

Thomas appeared torn but a quick word of reassurance from Virgil was enough to convince him. “Okay, Grammy,” he said. 

“Patton wanted to be alone until Logan got here,” Harmony added to Roman and Virgil as she took Thomas’s hand. “But you know where we are if you need us.”

Roman couldn’t help but notice that her words seemed to be directed right at him. “Thanks, Mrs. Sanders,” he said. She nodded and left with Thomas while the two teens made their way over to Virgil’s parents.

Patton had Logan pulled into a hug and his whole body trembled as he buried his face into the crook of Logan’s neck. “Dad, what’s wrong?” Virgil questioned once he was near enough.

Patton didn’t answer, and Roman could see that despite his best efforts, Virgil was becoming frustrated. Roman took out his phone and started scouring the news sites; he figured if it had been on the radio then whatever had happened would be online, too. 

The biggest story of the day had been of a high speed police chase that had ended in a multi vehicle collision. Most of the people involved in the impact had gotten out fine, but one police officer had been killed and another severely injured when a truck had slammed into their car. 

A feeling of unease settled in Roman’s stomach and another look at Patton was enough for him to connect the dots. “Patton.” 

Perhaps it was the lack of the childish nickname that caused the older man to lift his head and catch Roman’s eyes. “Yeah-Yes,” he stumbled over his own words, seeming the slightest bit relieved that somebody had caught on without him telling them.

“Is she the dead one or the injured one?” Roman winced at the harshness in his tone. He supposed he could have been a bit more tactful, but he had to know. He had to know  _ now.  _

“What are you talking about?” Logan said. He held Patton at arms length and furrowed his brow; Roman knew Logan was annoyed that he hadn’t worked it out as fast as Roman.

“Patton,” Roman repeated, more firm this time. “Which one is she?”

Patton hesitated for only the smallest second. “She’s alive.” He sniffled, pulling a crumpled up tissue from his pockets and wiping his nose with it. “She’s not - She’s not good,” he admitted “But she’s alive. She’s in surgery now.”  

“Who?” Virgil snapped. “Can someone just tell me what the fuck you’re talking about?” It was a mark of the seriousness of the situation when Patton didn’t reprimand Virgil for the language the way he usually did. 

“Megan.” Logan gasped, almost as if a light had switched on in his brain. 

_ Ah, so he worked it out.  _

Patton nodded vigorously at Logan, and Roman saw the colour drain from Logan’s face. “What about her?” Virgil said. “What about Aunt Megan?” 

Roman turned and walked out of the building after that. He didn’t want to be around when Patton told Virgil exactly what had happened.

 

* * *

 

_ “Hi, you’ve reached Henry Owen.  _ _ I'm currently unavailable to take your call. Please leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, and I will contact you as soon as possible.” _

Roman groaned as it went to voicemail for the fourth time. Why the hell wasn't Henry picking up? He always did.

“Where  _ are _ you?” Roman growled as the tone beeped, signaling for him to leave his message. “You’re supposed to be here! You need to help! You’re the only one who can-  _ She _ needs you. I need you to - Please,” Roman hadn’t realised he was crying until he started choking on his own sobs. “Don’t let me down - Not now. Please,” he whispered.

The phone slipped from his hands and cluttered against the concrete, but Roman couldn’t find it in himself to care.

Henry was always there. Megan was always there. Whenever his own parents hadn’t had the time for him, Megan and Henry had, and now….Now he couldn’t reach either of them.

Roman fell to his knees, struggling to keep himself together. Suddenly, he found himself unable to breathe; it was as if an invisible knot had been wrapped around his stomach and was tightening with every passing second. 

It was as though his very bones were shaking, his lips were tingling from pins and needles, and he was quite sure he was going to be sick. 

Somehow Roman was feeling both everything, and nothing at all. 

He didn’t know what was happening to him! Was he dying? Was- No!

He couldn’t think about death because thinking about it made him think of Megan.

Roman had never even thought about how much she had meant to him, how much she had done for him. She had taken him in, treated him like a son, when she had never been obliged to do so. He had always taken that for granted, but now-

Roman couldn’t breathe. He wasn’t getting any air. He inhaled and exhaled at a rapid speed, desperate for any kind of oxygen but there wasn’t enough. 

His vision was starting to fade and he felt light-headed. He was sure that he was going to pass out, and yet somehow in his very panicked mind he found space to scold himself.

_ What kind of prince are you?  _

He was a coward who was hyperventilating on the ground outside a hospital, people scurrying past him as if he were some kind of mad man, and he couldn’t blame them. He would do the same if he could. 

“Princey?” 

A face had appeared in his very limited view, and he vaguely recognised it as Virgil. 

Virgil. His best friend in the entire world.

Virgil. Who had to deal with Roman’s over dramatic attitude once again. 

“Hey,” Virgil sounded so far away even though he was only inches from Roman. “Roman, you need to breathe.”

_ Huh. _

Roman couldn’t remember the last time Virgil had called him by his first name. It had always been Princey. Always. 

Was that a sign that Virgil didn’t consider him a friend anymore? Was he done with their relationship? Did he really want to run away with Remy and Elliot?

_ Well, why not? Everyone else seems to be leaving you.  _

Roman had the strangest urge to punch himself in the face. Anything to get that damn voice in his head to  _ shut up!  _

But he didn’t have the strength to do so; he was too busy focusing on not dying.

“Roman, I’m going to grab your hand, okay? Is that okay?” Virgil said.

Why was Virgil asking that? Virgil never asked. They had always just been affectionate with each other. Oh no! Virgil really  _ did _ want to end their friendship. 

Well, Roman couldn’t say that he hadn’t seen it coming.

Who would ever want to stay with him? 

_ Poor, stupid Roman. Not even your own family could love you.  _

“Roman.” Virgil was still there, watching his friend worriedly, his hand hovering just above Roman’s. 

Roman wanted to say something but he found that his entire mouth had gone dry and he was incapable of moving his tongue, so he gave a tiny jerk of his head, and that was enough for Virgil. 

Virgil took Roman’s hand in his own, placing it on his chest, right over his heart. “Just breathe with me, okay? Focus on my breathing,” Virgil instructed. “I’m here. You’re safe. Just breathe.” 

It took a long time, and a lot of coaxing from Virgil but eventually Roman was able to get his breathing under control and back down to a normal rate again. Roman was still unsteady and his body was weak so the pair of them opted to stay sitting on the ground for some time, ignoring anyone who glared at them for taking up space.

“I am- I- Sorry,” Roman said shakily. 

“What for?” Virgil said. 

“For making you deal with me,” Roman said. He felt very small all of a sudden.

“Man, shut up,” Virgil said. “You don’t make me do anything. You’re my best friend, I wasn’t going to leave you alone on the sidewalk to have a panic attack.”

“A panic attack?” Roman echoed, dimly. “Was that what that was?”

Virgil smirked and got to his feet, extending a hand out to Roman to help him up, too. 

“Roman Prince,” Virgil said, the corners of his mouth twitching with amusement. “Welcome to my world.”

 

* * *

 

“Do you think Roman is okay?” Patton said. He had been very worried when Roman had left them, Virgil quickly following after. 

“I am sure he is fine,” Logan said.

Patton wasn’t even sure if Logan had heard the question. Patton’s tears had finally stopped and he had managed to settle down a bit but now his main concern was Logan.

His husband was sitting in the opposite chair, wringing his hands together absentmindedly as he stared down at his shoes. Of course Patton had known that Logan was going to be the most affected by the news; it was why Patton had feared telling him in the first place.

Logan and Megan had been friends long before Patton had either met either of them. They had known each other from the very day Megan had been born, and while Logan often claimed that Megan annoyed him, Patton knew that he really did love her like the sister he had never had.

Megan had been a big part of the reason that Logan and Patton had ever gotten together in the first place. To imagine a world without her...that was a world Patton wasn’t sure he wanted to live in. 

“She’ll be okay, Lo,” he said. “She’s strong, you know that.”

Logan didn’t acknowledge him, and Patton wondered if he had even heard him. 

“One hundred and fifty,” Logan muttered.

“What?” 

“That’s how many reported deaths there were in the line of duty last year,” Logan said. “One hundred and fifty.”

“Oh...I see,” Patton said slowly.

“There were one hundred and seventy two in the year before that,” Logan said. “I check each year.”

“Why?” Patton said.

“I do not know,” Logan replied honestly. “I think I was just hoping that she would quit if I kept telling her the statistics. She only ever laughed at me and told me I worried too much, but I was right, was I not? I was right to worry.”

“I-”

“I am angry,” Logan interrupted. “I am angry that my family are the ones that keep getting hurt again and again. I am hurt because I try to do the very best I can and it only seems to get shoved right back in my face. I am tired of having these emotions because I do not understand most of them and I do not like what I do not understand.” Logan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Above all, I am guilty.”

“Guilty? Of what?” Patton said.

“Of the fact that I am just so grateful it was not you,” Logan whispered. “I keep losing people, and I could never imagine how I would cope if-” he broke off, the thought apparently too painful to process. 

“You’re not going to lose me, Lo,” Patton said, “and you’re not going to lose her either. There’s nothing wrong with feeling happy that it wasn’t somebody else that you care about. That doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.” He reached over and squeezed Logan’s hand. “Just because you’re happy it wasn’t me doesn’t mean you’re happy it’s her, too.” 

“You are right,” Logan said. “As usual.”

Patton blushed. He was always certain that he couldn’t love Logan more if he tried, yet he found a new reason to every single day. 

“Are you scared?” 

Logan’s question threw Patton off guard, but he recovered quickly, and nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I’m terrified.”

Logan smiled weakly. “Me too,” he said. 

Patton knew that was something that Logan would never reveal with anybody else around, and he was thankful for their moment alone, not matter how short. 

“Whatever happens, we’re in it together,” Patton said. They always had been.

“I know,” Logan said quietly. “I love you, honeybee.”

“I love you too,” Patton said, leaning over to kiss Logan.

“Well, you two haven’t changed a bit, have you?”

A shadow crossed over them and Patton felt Logan pull away quickly. That voice sounded far too familiar. 

They both raised their heads; Patton heard the small gasp that escaped Logan’s lips and he nearly did the same. 

For one tiny second, they had truly believed the woman standing there was Megan, but they were fast to realise that it was not.

The woman that stood before them was one that neither of them had spoken to in many years, a woman that they had once considered a friend but was now as good as an enemy to them.

In appearance she was identical to Megan in every single way, but in personality, Patton and Logan knew otherwise. 

She was nothing like her twin.

“Hello boys,” Tegan said, her smile much too wide considering the fact that her sister’s life was hanging in the balance. “It has been far too long since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it?”

_ No,  _ Patton thought as he fought against the sheer terror rising in him upon seeing her. _ In fact, it hasn’t been long enough.  _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe, you all thought it was Ethan.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Swearing, arguing, eating disorder, negative and anxious thoughts.

* * *

 

“Was that really a panic attack?” Roman asked as he walked back into the hospital.

Virgil still hadn’t let go of his hand and he was grateful; he was still very unsteady.

“Maybe that wasn’t the right thing to say,” Virgil answered, leading them towards the cafeteria. “I can’t diagnose you or whatever but that was definitely some kind of reaction.”

“It was horrible,” Roman admitted. “How do you stand it?”

Virgil shrugged. “I just do,” he said. “It’s not like I really have a choice.”

Roman had always admired Virgil’s strength, but up until this point, he had never realised just how much of it Virgil had. Virgil would never cease to amaze Roman, and Roman almost told him that, but he kept quiet instead.

“You want something to eat?” Virgil asked as they finally reached the cafeteria.

Food was the very last thing on Roman’s mind, and he shook his head. “No, thank you.”

“Roman,” Virgil sighed. “You know you can’t help Megan if you’re not taking care of yourself, too.”

“It’s not like I can do anything for her anyway,” Roman said.

“She’d want you to take care of yourself,” Virgil pointed out.

“I know but I’m really not hungry,” Roman insisted.

“You never are,” Virgil mumbled, rolling his eyes.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Virgil said. “Forget it. Wait for me while I go order something.”

No sooner had he left than Henry walked through the doors, Summer in tow, and Roman immediately ran over to them.

“Roman,” Henry said. “We pulled up just as you were coming back in with Virgil, you left your phone,” he added. He held out the phone but Roman ignored it, instead wrapping his arms around Henry’s middle in a tight hug. “Roman?”

“You didn’t answer,” he whispered. “You _always_ answer. I-I-I thought-you-I-You weren’t here-” He could feel himself getting worked up again, and he took some deep breaths to control himself. He couldn't allow himself to cry in front of them, especially Henry.

_You have an audience watching, Roman. Play your part._

Right. Right.

He was fine.

Everything was fine.

And it was the strangest thing, but when Henry returned the hug, Roman almost did feel like things could be fine. He felt safe and protected, the way he imagined he would feel if his own father ever hugged him.

“I’m sorry, Roman,” Henry said, “I was driving and I had my phone turned off,” he sounded incredibly apologetic. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, “but I’m here now. I’m here.”

Indeed he was.

 

* * *

 

Roman didn’t say anything when Virgil came back with a drink for him, but he slipped it into the nearest trash can as soon as Virgil had his back turned.

The four of them walked back towards the waiting room, and Roman and Virgil filled Henry and Summer in on everything they knew, which was not very much.

“Why can’t you operate on her?” Summer asked her dad upon hearing that Megan was in surgery.

He smiled down at her sadly.

“It isn’t advisable for doctors to operate on their friends and family,” he explained.

“You operated on my dad,” Virgil pointed out.

“I did,” Henry nodded, “but that was well before I knew him. There’s no way I could do it now that there’s an emotional attachment.”

“But you’re the best of the best!” Roman said. “Maybe an emotional investment is not such a bad thing. Nobody will care for Megan or try as hard as you would.”

“That’s not true, Roman,” Henry said. “Megan is still those doctors’ patient, and they have a duty of care to her. They won’t just give up,” he sighed. “Besides, I couldn’t do it even if I wanted to.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Virgil grumbled.

“Both,” Henry said. “I just can’t. Not with people I care about, not since Eira.”

“This sucks,” Summer said with a pout.

“Yes,” Henry agreed. “It does.”

Nobody said another word until they ran into Thomas and Harmony coming out of the gift shop, Thomas’s arms laden with toys.

“Geez, Thomas,” Virgil said. “Did you leave Grandma with _any_ money?”

“Grammy got me a puppy!” Thomas announced, proudly showing off his new stuffed toy. “It’s Butterfly!”

“Butterfly?” Virgil raised an eyebrow.

“That’s what he named it,” Harmony giggled.

“I want a real puppy!” Thomas said, passing over his toys to Virgil so he could play solely with Butterfly.

“Maybe one day, Little Prince,” Roman said. “You did such an amazing job of taking care of Jack that any puppy would love to have you as their owner!”

“I love Jackie,” Thomas said happily.

Roman could not explain how much it meant to have Thomas there with them; he was such a bright and happy kid that it was near impossible to feel too sad around him.

In situations like theirs, a kid like Thomas was invaluable.

“Auntie Megs!” Thomas suddenly shouted, and he started to run off, but Harmony caught him with surprising speed.

“That’s not Auntie Megs,” she said.

_Then who the hell is that woman standing over Logan and Patton?_ Roman had to wonder.

For if it wasn’t Megan then it could only be her identical twin sister.

But that was absurd.

“That’s Tegan, right?” Virgil asked Harmony. “Aunt Megan’s twin?”

_What?_

“Yes,” Harmony said. “That would be her. You know of her?”

“Aunt Megan mentioned her once or twice,” Virgil said. “She goes to visit her every Christmas; she’s always going on about how unoriginal their parents were when it came to naming them.”

“I didn’t know she had a twin,” Roman said, “or even a sister.”

“Well, Megan never advertised it,” Harmony pursed her lips. “If there was ever an evil twin then it would be Tegan.”

“That bad, huh?” Henry said.

“Mmm,” Harmony was barely listening. “Let’s go rescue my sons, shall we?”

She released her hold on Thomas and they all followed her towards Patton and Logan.

 

* * *

 

“What? Not even a hug?” Tegan said. “Come on, we were friends once, don’t forget. It wasn’t just always Megan that you were obsessed with.”

Patton and Logan stared at her, neither of them really knowing what to say. What was there to say? She wasn’t their friend anymore, that ship had sailed; they barely knew her nowadays.

“Stop gawking,” she ordered, rolling her eyes. “I can see that you two haven’t developed any manners over the years.”

“Is everything okay over here?”

Patton breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of his mother; there was something about Harmony’s presence that soothed him.

“Yes,” Logan said so confidently that Patton was probably the only one to hear the tremor in his voice. “Harmony, you remember Tegan.”

“How could I ever forget?” She smiled. “Tegan, wonderful to see you again, dear.”

“You too, Mrs. Sanders,” Tegan said. “Ah, and I see you’ve brought along the entire Brady Bunch,” she commented when she spotted the kids and Henry. “Now don’t tell me. Let me guess,” she eyed Henry up and down. “You’re the doctor, and I have to be honest, I do not know what she sees in you.”

“Shut your mouth!” Summer snapped.

“What charming language for a girl so young,” Tegan said. “You’re obviously Summer.”

“No shit.”

“You really might do better at controlling her,” Tegan said to Henry.

“She is not my property,” Henry growled. “If she doesn’t like a bitch then she has a right to say so.”

Tegan giggled. ”Kitty has claws,” she said. “I retract my earlier statement, I get it now, you’re fun.”

“Keep testing me and I’ll be a real fucking pleasure,” Henry said.

Tegan smirked. “Meow.”

Patton normally would tell people off for swearing in front of Thomas -or himself- but he figured he’d let it go just this once. Henry was justified.

“You two,” Tegan said to the two teens. “Virgil and Roman, or Roman and Virgil, it doesn’t matter. You’re the ones she never shuts up about.”

“Funny,” Roman said. “Megan’s never once mentioned you.”

_Ha. Go Roman._

“She wouldn’t,” Tegan said. “She likes to pretend that she doesn’t have a real family,” she smiled at Roman before kneeling down to Thomas’s level. “Now that just leaves you. What’s your name, cutie?”

He beamed at her. “I’m Thomas!” he said. “You look like Auntie Megs, but Grammy said you’re not.”

“She was right,” Tegan said. “I’m Megan’s twin sister. It means that we look like the same person but we aren’t the same person.”

“I’ll say,” Henry muttered.

“Cool!” Thomas said. “I don’t have a sister, but Virge is my brother!” he announced happily.

“Hmmm...He’s not really though,” Tegan said.

Thomas shook his head. “He’s my brother!”

“No,” Tegan replied. “You’re adopted, which means your family isn’t really your family. It’s just pretend.”

Thomas’s eyes watered and he turned his head away from her. “You’re not nice!” he whined into Harmony’s leg.

“I’m only telling the truth,” Tegan said.

Patton had had enough. He grabbed Tegan’s arm, not roughly, but tight enough so that she turned her attention back to him.

“Hey,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “You don’t talk to him. You don’t talk to any of us anymore. You can sit over in the corner and wait for news, but you keep your mouth shut.”

“Are you seriously telling me what to do?” Tegan scoffed.

“Yes.” Patton’s tone left no room for argument. “You don’t talk to any of my family.”

“Oh,” Tegan said. “It really is adorable how you think _this_ is a family when it is anything but.”

“I don’t care what you have to say,” Patton said. “I don’t care what you think. I’m tired, and I’m too old to be playing these stupid little games with you while I’m worried sick about _your_ sister. So go somewhere else, leave us alone, and if you ever come near my children again then I will have you thrown out of here, do we understand each other?”

He didn’t like the way she smirked at him as she said, “Patton, I think we understand each other _perfectly_.”

 

* * *

 

Roman could hardly believe what he had just witnessed. Had Patton, the kindest, gentlest person alive, really shut down a snobby witch such as Tegan?

He didn’t understand how Tegan could be Megan’s twin sister. For if Megan were fire, warm and bright and wild then her sister was ice, cold, and dull and univiting.

Roman did not like any aspect of the woman, and he was more than grateful that Patton had been able to get rid of her, even temporarily.

Henry’s hand on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts and he realised that Henry was trying to give him his car keys.

“You should go.”

“What?” Roman frowned.

“The four of you,” Henry said. “I’ll get a ride back with Logan and Patton.”

“Why?” Virgil asked.

“Because this isn’t the place for kids to be, and you can’t do anything for now anyway,” Henry said. “Also, somebody needs to go pick up Cosmo.”

“No, I want to stay with you,” Summer said.

“Your dad is right, kiddo,” Patton said. “If anything happens then we will let you know straight away, but you all need to get some rest. You can go back to our house for the night, take Cosmo there.”

“Please,” Henry said as Roman opened his mouth to argue. “She could be in there for hours, and I’d just rather you all be home.”

Roman got the idea that they just wanted them out of the way in case any arguments should start, but he obeyed anyway. Roman was nothing if not compliant.

Plus the truth was that he was exhausted. It had been a long day.

He supposed the others felt the same way because it didn’t take much persuading for them to agree to go either.

“Drive carefully, Roman,” Logan said.

After the events that had transpired hours earlier, Roman felt that was a rather needless warning.

 

* * *

 

Cosmo was thrilled when he saw the kids, none of them staying in Megan’s yard for longer than necessary, and he was more than willing to go with them to the Sanders house, mainly because Virgil was there.

Virgil helped Thomas get ready for bed but he didn’t appear too thrilled about being left in his own room.

He had been unusually quiet the entire drive home, and had barely touched the dinner that Virgil had made him before bed.

“Are you okay, Thomas?” Virgil asked as he secured the blanket tightly around the small boy.

Thomas picked up the stuffed puppy, Butterfly, that Harmony had bought him and hugged it to his chest. “I thought we were brothers,” he whispered, not meeting Virgil’s eyes.

Virgil had to restrain himself from going back to the hospital and hunting down Tegan at those words.

“Thomas, we _are,_ ” he insisted.  

“But the lady that looks like Auntie Megs said-”

“She was wrong,” Virgil interrupted. “Look at me,” he said firmly, and Thomas did. “People are always going to say stuff like that, Thomas.”

“Why?”

“Because they don’t understand. Our family is different to theirs,” Virgil said, “but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. We don’t have a mom and we don’t come from the same place, but that’s okay, because you know what we do have?”

Thomas shook his head. “No?”

“We have two dads,” Virgil said, “and they picked us, and that means they chose to love us. Not because they had to, but because they _wanted_ to. Sometimes people don’t understand our family, and if they don’t understand then they don’t like it, but that’s their problem because we’re happy, right?”

“Yeah,” Thomas said, still looking uncertain.

“You know that Dad loves you,” Virgil said, “and Papa loves you, and I love you,” he said. He was never sure why Thomas was the only person he could ever say those three words to so effortlessly, but right then, it didn’t matter. “And no matter what anybody says, I will always be your brother, okay? Until we’re really old.”

“Like a hundred?” Thomas said curiously.

“Like two hundred!” Virgil declared and Thomas giggled.

“Wow,” he said. “I want you to be my brother forever!”

“Then I will be,” Virgil said. “Forever and ever and ever. You’re stuck with me now. No take backs!”

“Virge, you’re silly,” Thomas said.

“I know,” Virgil said. He leaned over and kissed Thomas’s forehead. “You comfy?”

“Yeah, but….” Thomas trailed off.

“What is it?”

“Can I sleep with you?” he said.

Virgil chuckled. “Yeah, of course,” he answered.

Thomas scrambled out of his own bed, leaving Butterfly behind to “keep watch” and followed Virgil to his room.

 

* * *

 

Summer was asleep on the edge of Virgil’s bed when the boys arrived in Virgil’s room, and Thomas eagerly climbed up next to her.

“Sorry,” Roman said as he followed the brothers into the room, Cosmo and Sally behind him. The two animals curled up on the rug together. “I did tell her to take the couch but she mumbled something about an elephant and then passed out.”

“It’s okay,” Virgil said. “There’s room. For all of us,” he added when Roman went to lie on the floor next to the dog.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah! I want The Prince,” Thomas said eagerly.

“Well, that settles it, I mustn’t disappoint Thomas,” Roman said.

He lay down beside Thomas, Virgil getting in after him and making sure that the blankets covered the four of them.

Once Thomas had drifted off, Roman rolled over to face Virgil. “Crazy day, huh?”

“Do you think we will ever catch a break?” Virgil said, almost to himself.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s like we have this giant pile of crap that only grows bigger every year and we can never break free of it.”

“You certainly paint a beautiful picture,” Roman snorted.

“You know what i mean,” Virgil sighed. “It’s just...”

“It’s just what?”

“It feels like they’re aren’t that many people fighting in our corner anymore,” Virgil said. “And when they are, something always happens and they get taken away from us.”

Roman could see what Virgil was getting at but he wasn’t quite sure he agreed. “Not always,” he said. “We still have each other.”

“Yeah,” Virgil flipped over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. “But for how long?” he asked. “Good things don’t often last for you and me, Princey. How long before something happens and we’re just a memory to each other?”

Roman didn’t even want to think about the possibility; there was no way he could imagine a world without his best friend. They were total opposites, the light and the dark, the yin and yang, but they completed each other. They always had, they were The Prince and the Knight. They understood each other in ways that nobody else could.

To think of no longer having that in his life was too much for Roman to bear.

“It doesn’t matter what has happened, or even what will happen,” he said. “I’m never going to leave you.”

“I really hope you mean that,” Virgil murmured, closing his eyes.

“I do,” Roman insisted.

He did, but he wasn’t sure if Virgil truly believed what he was saying.

Whatever the case was, it took Roman until the early hours of the morning before he finally fell asleep with the others.

* * *

 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on a new fic, and this time, it has child Logan and Patton with adult Virgil and Roman :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: eating disorder, injury detail, swearing, arguing.

* * *

 

Roman was gone by the time Virgil woke up.

Thomas and Summer were still fast asleep but Roman’s side of the bed was empty, which explained why Virgil had awoken so early.

Virgil had never noticed before how much better he slept with Roman nearby, and he almost wished his friend would return so that he could get some more rest.

However, that didn’t seem like a possibility, so instead Virgil climbed out of bed and wandered downstairs. He heard someone snoring in the living-room and went to investigate, discovering Henry passed out on the sofa. 

“Uncle Henry,” Virgil whispered, shaking him. He felt bad when Henry jumped up with wide eyes, but he wanted to know what was going on.

“Oh, Virgil,” Henry sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Good morning.”

“Hey,” Virgil said. “How is Aunt Megan? Are Dad and Pa back? Have you seen Roman?” he asked in rapid-fire succession. 

Henry didn’t seem deterred, Virgil figured he was used to this kind of hounding due to his job. “She’s alive, yes they are, and he went for a jog,” Henry replied.

“A jog?” Virgil echoed. Roman never jogged. 

“Yeah,” Henry said, running his fingers through his hair. “He was leaving just as we got home. Your dads went upstairs to shower, and I thought I’d just lie down for a minute. You have a very comfortable couch,” he added. 

“How long have you all been home?” Virgil asked.

Henry glanced at his watch. “About an hour,” he said.

“Roman’s been jogging for an hour?” Virgil said. “Isn’t that too much?”

“Not if he is pacing himself and is keeping himself hy..hy...hydrated,” Henry said, stifling a yawn. “Exercise is good for you, you know.”

“Yeah, sure,” Virgil said, “but only if you’re doing it properly, which I don’t think he is. Roman seems to be on some crazy mission to destroy himself.” 

“Yes,” Henry said. “I have noticed that.”

“Noticed what?” 

Neither of them had heard Roman enter the house or walk into the living-room; he was staring at them with a frown on his face and Virgil had no doubt that Roman had heard them.

“You,” Virgil said. There was no point in lying or pretending. 

“What about me?” Roman said. 

“We’re just concerned that you’re not taking care of yourself,” Henry said gently. 

“Oh my- This  _ again _ ?” Roman groaned. “I don’t know what I have to do to convince you that I’m fine!” 

He turned away from them and stormed out of the room, Virgil trailing after him. He cornered Roman in the kitchen, grabbing his arm and forcing him to turn around.  “Oh yeah, you really seem fine,” Virgil said sarcastically. “A fine person would absolutely run out of a room like that.” 

“Is this because I went for a light jog?” Roman demanded. 

Virgil scoffed. “A light jog?” he said. “You’ve covered in sweat, a light jog doesn’t do that! And since when do you jog anyway?”

“Since I’ve been back,” Roman said. “It’s good for you.”

“Yeah, but at what cost?” Virgil said. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew that the only reason Roman was worried about this was because of what his parents had said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Roman raised an eyebrow. He towered over Virgil, and Virgil was suddenly made aware of how weak he was compared to his friend, but he refused to back down.

“I mean. Well. Look at yourself, Roman,” Virgil blurted out. 

“I have been,” Roman said, “and that is why I’m doing this! I’m taking important steps to make myself better.” 

“You call this better?” Virgil would have laughed if he wasn’t so frustrated. 

“What-”   
  
“You’re hardly eating and yet you are working yourself to breaking point. Your body doesn’t have enough energy to sustain this and you look like you could pass out at any moment,” Virgil said.

Roman chuckled. “That’s rich coming from Mr. Raccoon eyes.” 

Virgil took a deep breath, willing himself not to punch Roman in the face. “There’s a big difference between sleep deprivation and malnourishment.” 

“No, there isn’t!”

“I’m not intentionally hurting myself, Roman,” Virgil insisted. “You’re starving yourself, and for what? Because of a couple of idiots?” 

“Those are my parents,” Roman growled.

“Yeah, and?” Virgil said. “I’m not wrong, am I? They’re assholes, and they’re hurting you.” 

“Virgil, you better watch it-” 

“Or what?” Virgil challenged as Roman’s hand twitched. “You’ll hit me? Go ahead if it’ll make you feel better but it won’t change the fact that you are sick and you need help! You can deny yourself all you want but it’s true-”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Roman said. “You’re just always there, always butting in! Just mind your own goddamn business for once in your life!”

“Okay, that is enough,” Logan stood in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest as he watched them. “What is the matter with you two?”  

“Nothing,” Roman and Virgil said in unison. “I’m going for a shower,” Roman added.

He brushed past Virgil and Logan and vanished around the corner; Virgil gripped the edge of the kitchen counter and exhaled deeply.

He was shaking and he realised, with horror, that he felt fear; he felt afraid of Roman, the one person who he had never expected to feel such a way about.

“Virgil? Are you okay?” Logan questioned.

As it was plainly obvious that he was not, Virgil figured it was best not to lie to Logan. “No,” he muttered, refusing to meet Logan’s eyes. “I just want to help him.”

“Of course you do,” Logan said. “He is your best friend, it is only natural that you want to see him get better.”

“But he won’t listen to me,” Virgil sighed. “He’s so stupid and stubborn and I-I don’t know what to do? What do I do?” 

He really hoped Logan had an answer because he was entirely out of ideas; though, to be fair, his only solution had consisted of yelling at Roman and insulting his parents.

“Nothing.”

That got Virgil’s attention; he lifted his head and stared at Logan. “What?”

“If a person does not want help then you cannot force them to get it,” Logan said. “In fact, what you are doing now is perfect.”

“Getting mad at him?” Virgil said doubtfully.

“No, showing you care,” Logan corrected. “Virgil, think about when you first came here. No matter how much we wanted to, Patton and I could not make you see that you were not okay. We had to let you reach that conclusion yourself. All we could do was assist you through to the other side,  _ but _ by the time you realised you needed help, you trusted us enough to let us in, did you not?” 

“I guess,” Virgil said. “This is different though! He could do some serious damage to himself.” 

“I understand,” Logan said, “but unfortunately, that is on him. You cannot expect to fix everyone, Virgil. He will come to see the truth in time.”

Virgil knew that Logan was right, Logan was always right, but that didn’t mean Virgil liked to hear it. 

“Sometimes I hate how smart you are,” Virgil grunted. 

“You are smart too, Virgil,” Logan said. “I am merely looking at this situation through a clearer lens.” 

The corners of Virgil’s mouth quirked up slightly as he pointed at Logan’s glasses. “Was that a pun?” he said.

Logan blanched. “Please do not tell your father,” he begged.

 

* * *

 

The longer that Roman stood under the hot water in the shower, the quicker his anger started to dissipate, and was soon replaced by guilt. 

He knew that he shouldn’t have gotten so mad at Virgil; Virgil was a worrier and he always had been. He couldn’t help it if he was distressed about Roman’s wellbeing. 

Roman only wished that he could help Virgil to see that he actually was completely and truly fine.

_ Honestly.   
_

_ Everything was fine. _

He turned off the water, dried off and got dressed, all with the goal of patching things up with Virgil in mind. He didn’t know why he and Virgil had been at each other’s throats as of late, but he didn’t like it, and he wanted to try getting things back to how they used to be. 

Roman was not entirely sure that was possible anymore though; too much had changed between them.

He left the room and headed towards the stairs to find Virgil, running into Henry on the way. “Roman, I’m sorry if I upset you earlier,” Henry said. “I was overstepping my boundaries.” 

“Oh no, don’t worry about it,” Roman assured him. “How’s Megan? Did you hear anything?”

“Do you really want to know?” Henry asked.

“Of course!”

“She’s not great,” Henry said. “She’s got a lot of injuries.”

“Henry,” Roman whined. “Just spit it out. What kind of injuries?”

“A broken leg, cracked ribs, a broken collarbone,” Henry said, “a fractured shoulder, a shattered ankle and a broken arm. She also has swelling on the brain and the doctors have placed her in an induced coma.” 

Roman felt as though somebody had punched him. “Oh,” he said, “and.. uh, what do you think of that?”

“I think,” Henry sighed, “she’s very lucky to be alive right now, and we shouldn’t get our hopes up.” 

“Why shouldn’t we?” Roman said. “Megan wouldn’t give up on any of us if we were in that condition.” 

“That’s not what I’m saying Roman,” Henry said. “I just don’t want to give you any false hope. She’s nowhere near safe yet, and even if she does get better then there will still be a tough road to recovery. I just want you to get used to the idea that Megan may not be Megan for a really long time, if ever again.” 

“Yeah, okay,” Roman mumbled.

He didn’t want to talk or think about it any longer. Luckily Henry seemed to understand this because he patted Roman’s shoulder and said, “I’ve got to get to work.”

“Work?” Roman frowned. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” 

Henry looked absolutely exhausted, and Roman knew he hadn’t slept much in the past few days so Roman wasn’t too eager to let him go. 

“We all have our ways to cope, Roman,” Henry smiled, “and knowing that I could help somebody else is mine.”

Roman couldn’t dispute that; Henry really was the type of person who would do anything to assist anyone. 

It would be cruel of Roman to stop him. 

Once Henry had left, and Roman had swallowed the news about Megan, he followed the sound of Virgil’s voice to Thomas’s room.

The two of them were sitting on the floor, an array of nail polish bottles around them. “Hi!” Thomas waved when he spotted Roman. 

“Good morning, Little Prince,” Roman said. “I hope you slept well.”

“Yep!” Thomas grinned, holding out his hands towards Roman. “Look what Virge did!” 

Each of his fingernails were painted a different colour of the rainbow, and Virgil shrugged. “He saw me doing mine and wanted me to do his, too,” he said, gesturing towards his own freshly painted black nails.

“Well, they look beautiful, Thomas,” Roman said. 

“Wanna do yours?!” Thomas said, his eyes shining hopefully. 

How could Roman refuse? “Sure,” he said. 

“What colour?” Thomas beamed.

“Hmmm.. How about you choose?” Roman said. He sat down across from Virgil while Thomas busied himself with examining the bottles. “I apologise for how I acted, Virgil.”

“Me too,” Virgil said quietly so Thomas couldn’t hear. “What you do is your business, Princey, and I have to learn to respect that. I just-I don’t want you to get hurt, but if you say that you're fine then I need to just let it go.”

“I am fine, Virgil,” Roman said. “I am tired of us fighting all the time though. Do you think that, perhaps, we could start over? Let’s pretend I just got back from holidays or something.”

Virgil nodded. “That would be good,” he said as Thomas held out two bottles of nail polish towards Roman. 

“I can’t pick,” he said. 

Roman looked at the colours. “Red and purple, huh?” he smiled. “Well, those are such good choices, Thomas! I think they go together so well that I shall just have to wear both. What do you think, Little Prince?”

“Yeah!” Thomas said, handing the purple bottle to Virgil. “Can I do red, please and thank you?” 

“I could think of no greater honour than to have my nails painted by you and your brother, Thomas,” Roman said seriously.

Thomas took Roman’s left hand and started painting while Virgil set to work on the right; Thomas’s handiwork was extremely sloppy but he was so happy at being allowed to help that Roman didn’t complain.

Besides, it was incredibly endearing. 

“All done!” Thomas declared after a few minutes. 

“Same,” Virgil said.

“Excellent work, boys,” Roman said, studying his hands. “I do have to say that Thomas did a much better job though, Virgil.”

“He always does,” Virgil said.

Thomas gasped. “Thank you,” he said. He hugged Roman and then Virgil before running out of the room to show Patton and Logan his new nails.

“He’s so cute,” Roman chortled.

“Mmm,” Virgil replied, reaching for his phone which had suddenly lit up beside him. “What are you doing on Friday after school?”

“I have ballet but after that, nothing,” Roman said.

“Absolutely nothing?” Virgil asked. “You have no plans at all?” 

“None whatsoever.” 

“So if I invited you somewhere then you’d definitely not refuse?” Virgil said. 

“Of course not,” Roman said. “What do you have in mind?”

“Remy’s house,” Virgil said. “He wants us and Elliot to stay the night.”

“Seriously, Virgil?” Roman groaned.

“Hey, you promised,” Virgil said smugly.

Indeed he had. “Why does Remy want me there anyway?” Roman said. “He’s friends with the two of you, not me.”

“And whose fault is that?” Virgil asked. “He knows about what happened to Aunt Megan, and he reckons we need a break for a night. He’s being nice, and he wants to be your friend, too. You should give him a chance.” 

Roman didn’t want to give Remy a chance, he had no interest in befriending him or Elliot, but he owed it to Virgil. In any case, this would be the perfect time for them to start over.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll come to his stupid sleepover.” 

“You’re the best, Princey,” Virgil said, tapping away at his phone.

And if hanging out with Remy was what Roman had to do to get such high praise, then maybe he would suffer through such a chore more often. 

  
  



	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: swearing and anxious thoughts. It's mostly a fluffy (literally) chapter though.

* * *

 

  
Roman was hunched over at his desk, approaching the second hour of struggling through his homework when the ding of his text alert saved him from trying to write another word of his Shakespeare analysis. 

He pushed himself away from the desk and snatched his phone off the bed, which startled Jack who had been sleeping soundly.

“Sorry, buddy,” Roman said before opening up the message.

**From: The Royal Knightmare**

_U busy?_

Roman looked back over at his desk where the rest of his homework awaited him. 

**To: The Royal Knightmare**

_I’m free as a bird, compadre. What do you have in mind?_

(It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Shakespeare, it was that writing at least five pages about it in MLA format was a fate worse than death.)

**From: The Royal Knightmare**

_Cool. Come to Dad’s work now. Bring Jack._

Well, that was a rather odd request. Of course, Roman had been to Patton’s veterinary clinic many times before, but he had never been specifically ordered to bring Jack along. 

Roman shrugged and grabbed his jacket and car keys, whistling to the dog who jumped up immediately. “Come on, boy. We’re going for a drive.” 

Roman had always liked visiting Patton’s work; he and Virgil often helped out with handling the animals or cleaning the cages, so Roman was quite happy to be going there again. This was a bit out of the blue however, and he couldn’t help being curious as to why they wanted him. 

Luckily for him, Jack was so willing to comply with any of Roman’s wishes that getting him into the car and to the clinic took hardly any time at all. Virgil was already waiting near the front entrance when Roman arrived. 

“What’s going on?” Roman asked without preamble.

“Dunno,” Virgil replied. “Dad just told me to come here with Jack and Sally.”

“Sally too?” Roman said, looking around for some sign of the cat. “Well, where is she?”

Virgil pulled down the hood of his jacket, revealing Sally to be draped around his shoulders. “Where else would she be?” Virgil smirked.

He had a point; ever since Sally was a kitten, her favourite place to be had always been inside Virgil’s jacket. 

“Shall we go in?” Roman had only just opened the door when a large dog bolted out and jumped up at him, barking loudly.

“No! I’m sorry!” the girl at the end of his leash said. “He’s so heavy! Oh- It’s just you, Roman.”

It took Roman a second to realise it was Summer and that the dog licking him excessively was Cosmo. “ _Just_ me?” He said, pushing Cosmo aside. “Nice to see you, too.”

“Sorry, but I thought Cosmo was tongue bathing some stranger,” Summer said. “I’m a little relieved that he isn’t.”

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Roman said.

“Wanda had a check up,” Summer explained, “and we had to pick up Cosmo.”

“Where are you taking him?” Virgil asked as Henry trailed after Summer, his cat Wanda in his arms. 

“Home,” Summer said as Cosmo gave another tug, almost sending her to the ground. “I’m going to train him and Wanda to be my evil army of the night. They can devour the souls of my enemies,” she grinned.

“Great,” Henry sighed, rolling his eyes. 

“You’re taking Cosmo home? Like, to your house?” Virgil asked. “Thomas will be really upset.”

Roman got the feeling that Thomas wasn’t the only person Virgil was referring to. 

“He won’t be for long,” Henry said. “You’re going to have your hands so full that your dad figured it was better if we took Cosmo.”

“You can still visit him whenever you want,” Summer added. 

“Yeah,” Virgil said. “I know.” 

He sounded so sad and dejected that Roman wanted to hug him; he wondered if Virgil’s mood had less to do with wanting the dog there, and more to do with the fact that Cosmo was one of their last links to Megan. 

“Go in and see your dad, Virgil,” Henry said. “Trust me, when you see why he called you here then you’ll stop worrying about Cosmo.” 

Roman and Virgil exchanged confused glances. “Alright,” Virgil said. “See you later, then.”

The two of them went inside and walked up to the receptionist, Cassidy’s desk. Jack immediately scrambled over to her and tried to climb up her leg. 

“Aww, I missed you too,” Cassidy cooed at him. She picked him up and placed him on her lap. “Do you want to help me do some paperwork?”

“You know that he would love nothing more,” Roman said, “but unfortunately, Jack has been requested for a special quest and his presence is needed elsewhere.” 

Cassidy giggled as Virgil rolled his eyes. “You are ridiculous, Roman,” she said. “It’s good to see you boys again. I feel as though it has been forever since you stopped by.”

“We’ve had a lot going on,” Virgil said apologetically. “We’ll try to make it more often.”

“You better,” she said, “because there’s a new litter of kittens who are desperate to meet you.”

Virgil’s eyes lit up, and  the other two laughed; his love of cats was no secret. 

“That sounds like quite an adventure,” Roman said, “and we would love to partake in it some time. For now though, we need to see Virgil’s dad, is he around?”

Cassidy nodded. “He’s in with the dogs.”

“Of course he is,” Virgil chuckled.

They called Jack to follow them, thanked Cassidy and went through the door to the kennel room that housed all of the dogs in the building. 

Patton was sitting in one of the very last pens, laughing as a small brown puppy ran around him; it looked like a teddy bear to Roman and he recognised the breed as a Newfoundland dog, which he knew grew to massive sizes.

“Greetings, Mr. Patton,” Roman said, entering the pen with Virgil. “Who do we have here?”

Patton patted the space next to him indicating that they sit down, which they did. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said happily. “This is Zero!” 

Virgil snorted. “Zero? As in Nightmare Before Christmas?”

“Yup!”

“No wonder you wanted Jack and Sally to meet her,” Roman said. “You have the whole set now!”

“I had to make sure they all got along,” Patton explained.

“How come?” Virgil asked as he reached to scratch Zero behind the ears.

“Because Zero is our new pet,” Patton beamed. “Well, she’s Thomas’s to be exact.”

“Seriously?”

“Lo and I think that all kids should have their own pet,” Patton said. “They teach you so much about responsibility, and love, and life.”

Roman knew there was some truth to that; Jack had certainly been a loyal companion to him over the years. “Thomas deserves it,” he declared, leaning forward to pat the puppy.

It was to nobody’s surprise that three animals got along beautifully. Jack loved everybody so Zero was just a new best friend to him, and Sally had grown up around dogs, so she was so used to their silly antics that Zero’s excited behaviour didn’t bother her. 

Patton was clearly thrilled as he watched them all interacting, but Virgil still seemed uncertain. 

“Is this why Cosmo had to go?”

“Oh no, kiddo,” Patton said. “I never would have kicked Cosmo out. Henry offered to take him because having a puppy around is a lot of work, and…. I think Henry is struggling without Megan. I thought Cosmo could help.”

That surprised Roman, Henry had appeared to be doing okay to him. 

“That makes sense,” Virgil said. “We’re going to be busy.” He picked up Zero. “Nice collar,” he snorted. “Did you pick it out?” 

Patton nodded and Roman examined the collar closer; it was rainbow coloured and the tag was in the shape of a butterfly.

Roman chuckled. Thomas was going to flip out.

 

* * *

 

The boys stayed with Patton until he was done with work, then Roman followed the Sanders home. There was absolutely no way he was going to miss out on Thomas meeting his puppy for the first time.

Logan greeted them in the living-room when they got home and Patton immediately asked where Thomas was.

“He is in the kitchen,” Logan said. “Did you get it?”

“This isn’t a drug deal, Pa,” Virgil laughed. 

Patton held Zero out towards Logan in response. “Isn’t she just the cutest?” 

“She is very-“ Logan stopped mid sentence.

“Uh.. Mama Lo?” Roman said. “Are you okay?” 

Logan brought his finger to his lips. “Shush,” he said. 

They all fell silent and Roman could hear the sound of a chair scraping against the floor from the other room.

Logan sighed. “Thomas?” He called.

There was a pause.

“Yes?”

“You better not be trying to get some cookies after I just told you that you could not have any,” Logan said.

Another long pause.

“No.”

“Come here, please,” Logan ordered before shaking his head at Patton. “He is worse than you.”

“Aww! You should let him have a cookie,” Patton said.

“Absolutely not,” Logan insisted. “It will ruin his appetite for dinner.”

“Just one cookie, he’s so adorable!” Patton said.

“If we allowed him to have a cookie every single time he did something that you found cute, we would have no cookies left,” Logan pointed out.

Thomas trudged into the room, his head bowed. “I wasn’t gonna eat ‘em,” he informed the floor. 

“So what were you doing?” Logan enquired.

“Ummm…looking!” Thomas said, staring up at Logan with a big cheesy smile.

“Looking? Looking for what?” Logan raised an eyebrow and Thomas shuffled his feet.

“Umm… to see which one I wanna have,” he tried. “After dinner!”

“Is that so?” Logan said, and Roman could tell that he was trying not to laugh.

“Yes!”

“We can always buy more cookies, Lo,” Patton said quietly.

“That may be so but the cookie jar is up very high and I would hate for him to hurt himself trying to reach them,” Logan said. “If I say no then it is for a reason, Thomas.”

“Sorry, Papa,” Thomas said.

”It is fine, Thomas,” Logan said. “Please just listen to me from now on.”

“I will,” Thomas nodded. He then noticed what Patton had in his grasp, and Logan was completely forgotten. “A puppy?” he gasped. 

“That’s right,” Patton said. “Her name is Zero. Do you want to hold her?”

“Yes, please and thank you!” Thomas said.

“Sit on the sofa,” Patton instructed. “We don’t want you to drop her.” 

“I won’t,” Thomas said as he pulled himself onto the nearest armchair. “Can I have her now, please and thank you?”

“Here you go, bud!” Patton carefully deposited Zero on Thomas’s lap and she sniffed him curiously, making Thomas giggle. 

“She’s soft,” Thomas said, patting her head gently.

“Mhm,” Patton said, taking out his phone to record the adorableness of the pair. “Do you want to know a secret about her, Thomas?”

“Yeah?” Thomas said.

“Zero is your puppy,” Patton announced. 

It took a minute for the words to register but when they did, Roman was sure he saw Thomas’s pupils dilate ten times their normal size. 

He stared at Patton and Logan then the puppy then back to his dads again. “My-My puppy?” He repeated. Patton nodded, and almost immediately the child burst into tears.

“Oh shit,” Virgil muttered under his breath. 

Thomas hugged Zero closer to him, burying his face against her fur as she tried desperately to lick at his cheeks. “Thank-Thank you for my pup-puppy-“ He stammered.

“You are welcome, Thomas,” Logan said. 

Roman noticed that Virgil’s eyes were watery too, and he nudged his friend while the others fussed over the puppy. “All too much for you, is it?”

“Shut up,” Virgil growled. “I was just thinking.”

“Care to share, dark and stormy?” Roman asked.

“I just remember when I got Sally,” Virgil said. “I’m just.. Thomas and I are really lucky that Patton and Logan chose to adopt us, you know?”

Roman did know. 

He was also lucky, for if they had not chosen Virgil, Roman would not have met him. 

Roman couldn’t imagine anything worse than not being friends with Virgil.

 

* * *

 

Roman nervously waited outside the girls changing rooms. A few of the dancers gave him odd looks as they left but he ignored them; he needed to talk to Stephanie.

The two of them had become a lot closer since being cast as the lead roles, and as they had both become the targets of bullying from their fellow ballerinas, they made an effort to stick together. 

Roman was beginning to feel like a bit of a creep though, so he was glad when she finally walked out. “Roman? What are you doing?” 

“I have something to tell you,” he said, lowering his voice as they made their way towards the parking lot.

“Oh, a secret?” Stephanie smiled. “How fun.”

“This is serious,” Roman urged. “I have to kiss you.” 

Stephanie didn’t say anything until she had unlocked her car and thrown her bag in the backseat, she then turned to face Roman, folding her arms over her chest.

“Okay,” she deadpanned. “But I doubt my girlfriend will like that.”

“Your girlfriend?” 

“Yeah, her name is Fiona and-” Stephanie broke off, her cheeks reddening. “Oh no, are you homophobic? Should I not have said that?”

“What? No! Why does everything always think- Ugh, never mind,” he shook his head. “I was talking to Kathy after class, and she said that we have to kiss!” 

Stephanie let out a sigh of relief (evidently she had thought he meant that he had just had the overwhelming urge to kiss her). “Didn’t you know that?”

“You did?” he gasped.

Stephanie giggled. “Roman, you do understand that Cinderella and her prince were in love, don’t you?”  

 “Of course I do!” Roman said. “That’s the problem though, we’re not.” 

"We’re acting, Roman,” Stephanie said slowly. “Believe it or not, I don’t have an evil stepmother, and I’m sorry to say but you’re not a prince in any other way except for your name.”

“That’s not the issue,” Roman said, wishing that he could reach out and shake her until she understood. He did not want to have to say it.

Sadly, it seemed like he would have to. 

“I’m really confused and stupidly tired,” Stephanie said. “Could you please just tell me what you mean so I can go home to bed?” 

“I….Ihaveneverkissedanyonebefore,” Roman blurted out in one breath.

Stephanie stared at him. “I’m sorry, what?” she said. 

Roman inhaled sharply. “I have never kissed anyone before,” he admitted before glancing around to check that nobody was listening.

He had just revealed one of the greatest secrets of all time and somehow Stephanie didn’t look interested at all. “So?” she said. “There’s plenty of people much older than you who haven’t had their first kiss yet. It’s not really a big deal.”

Not a big deal?! Was she crazy?!

“Uh, yes it is!” Roman pressed. He could see she was growing bored with this topic of conversation. “I can’t have my first kiss be with you!”

“Oh, gee, thanks,” Stephanie said. “With remarks like that, I’m surprised you don’t have girls lining up around the block.”

Oh dear. This was not going well.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Roman said. “It’s just that I want to do really well in this show, I have to prove to everyone that I deserve to be here-” 

“Roman, you do deserve to be here,” Stephanie pointed out. “They gave you the part for a reason.”

“But if I’m too worried about kissing you then I’m going to mess everything up,” Roman said, ignoring what she had just told him. “A kiss is the most romantic part of any fairytale, there’s so much said in that one simple action. A kiss doesn’t require words to convey how one feels about someone, I can’t screw that up when there’ll be so many people watching us. They have to believe it’s how I feel, that’s what makes a good performer.” 

“I’m sure we’ll get chances to practice,” Stephanie pointed out. “You know how much of a perfectionist Kathy is.”

“No!” Roman said. “We can’t do that because then you’ll still be my first kiss and then I will always remember how terrible I was, and then I’ll be comparing myself to that moment and-”

“Okay, okay,” Stephanie said, placing her hands on his shoulders. “You are totally overthinking this. You might not even be that bad.”

“Please,” Roman scoffed. “Nobody is a good kisser at first.”

“Nobody is as bad as you’re making out to be, I’m sure,” Stephanie mumbled. “But If you really are _that_ worried, why don’t you just go find someone to practice with?”  

“Oh, great idea! I’ll just go ask the next random person I see, shall I?” Roman said mockingly.

“No, you big drama queen,” Stephanie said with a roll of her eyes. “Someone you know- a willing participant. How about your friend...Uh- Virgil, was it?”

Okay. So Stephanie _had_ lost her mind. Poor girl.

“Are you insane?!” Roman shrieked. “The only thing I’ll be kissing is my friendship with Virgil goodbye.”

Stephanie threw up her hands. “Maybe I should just stop talking.” 

“But I need your help,” Roman whined. 

“I am trying to help you, Roman,” Stephanie said. “I also think you’re blowing this whole thing out of proportion.”

He probably was but it mattered to him. He couldn’t explain it but getting his part down perfectly was very important, he had to show everyone that he had earned his spot in this production. 

That wouldn’t be possible if he was a prince who couldn’t even kiss his princess.

“We just have to think,” Roman said. “I’m sure there’s someone out there willing to help us with our dilemma...Someone crazy enough to try just about anything.”

Stephanie’s brow furrowed as she went over what he had just said. “Where on earth do you plan to find a person like that?”

 

* * *

 

Roman could not believe he was doing this. 

Okay, yes, he had agreed to it, but he would never have thought that he would actually go through with it. 

He knocked on the front door, adjusting the strap of his backpack over his shoulder as he tried to swallow past the lump in his throat.

This did not feel right. 

But he had promised Virgil, and Roman never broke his promises. 

In what seemed like no time at all, the door swung open and Roman found himself face to face with that smug sunglasses wearing, Starbucks drinking, pain in the ass.

Remy smiled, his eyes sweeping over Roman who was debating whether or not to just go home, promises be damned.

“Well,” Remy said as he stepped back to allow Roman entry into his house. “ _Now,_ it’s a party.” 

 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Vomiting, Eating disorder, heart attack, purging, swearing, food mention and death mention. 
> 
> Also, just a little note, people seem to be confusing Remy with the (spoiler) new side, Remus. Remy is not Remus. Remy is the sleep character in some of Thomas' short videos, just so you guys know. Remus will not be in this fic.

* * *

 

Remy lived in a small two bedroom house on a large, remote farm. The house was cozy, cluttered and quiet, and Roman loved it. It was the complete opposite of his place yet somehow it felt much more homely. Remy quickly showed him around, pointing out his own bedroom and the house’s two bathrooms to Roman. 

“You can dump your stuff in there,” Remy said, opening his bedroom door for Roman. “Now c’mon, the others are waiting in the living room.”

As Roman set down his bags and followed Remy back towards the middle of the house, he saw that “the others” not only meant Virgil and Elliot, but two adults who he assumed were Remy's parents.

“Do you how do!” cried a soft looking man with round rimmed glasses sitting in an armchair. He practically bounced to his feet, revealing himself to be rather short, and held out a hand for Roman to shake. “You must be Virgil’s friend Roman?”

Roman nodded, a bit taken aback by the man’s sunny disposition. He reminded him almost of Patton, and it was hard to imagine him raising a son as snarky as Remy. Then again, Patton had raised Virgil, so maybe it made more sense after all.

“Well, my name’s Dr. Picani, but you can call me Emile, and this is my lovely partner Aubrey!” 

Aubrey smiled warmly. Her long hair was dyed in every colour of the rainbow, and with her leather jacket and sunglasses pushed up onto her forehead, she looked much more like what Roman had expected Remy’s parents to look like. Upon closer inspection, Roman noticed a simple necklace with a small blue charm labeled _she/her_ hung around her neck. The charm was on a clasp so it could easily be switched out to other pronouns when desired. He made a mental note to check the necklace before speaking whenever he saw Remy's mom. 

“Great to meet you, Roman! I hope you’re hungry, because I was just telling the others here that I’m making my famous chicken tortellini for dinner.”  

Roman hadn’t thought of that; there was really no way for him to refuse dinner without seeming rude. So he looked down at the floor, shuffled his feet and muttered, “that sounds fine.”

“Keep your chin up,” Remy said cheerfully, he must have picked up on the nervousness in Roman’s voice. 

“I’m fine,” Roman said.

“No, he means that literally,” Elliot interjected. “Aubrey is deaf so she can’t understand you unless she’s reading your lips.”

“Or perhaps you know sign language?” Emile asked.

“Oh,” Roman lifted his head. “No, sorry. I don’t.”

“I could teach you sometime,” Emile offered. “I’ve been teaching Virgil.”

“Really?” Roman was surprised to hear that, Virgil hadn’t mentioned that before.

“Well, sure!” Emile said. “It’s also a really good thing to know when you’re rendered speechless from something like an anxiety attack.”

Roman had never thought of that but it made sense. It would be a really useful skill to learn. 

 _Especially if it could help Virgil,_ he thought, but was wise enough not to say out loud.  

 

* * *

 

Roman wished he could enjoy himself that night, he really did. Once Emile and Aubrey left the room to give the teens some privacy, Remy had suggested Mario Kart, and the four of them had wasted no time in setting up the game. But Roman just couldn’t focus, not on the game, not on the monopoly board they set up after Elliot kicked everyone’s butts in the first three grand prixs, nor on the movie that Remy popped into the DVD player after Virgil wiped them all clean in less than an hour. 

He tried to keep his mind focused on the movie, but his thoughts keep drifting away to his earlier conversation with Stephanie; he knew that he was putting off asking Remy for help, but he truly didn’t know how to approach the subject.

However, it would seem that he wouldn’t need to be the one to bring it up.

When the credits started rolling on the television, Virgil switched it off and nudged Roman’s foot. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Hmm?” Roman tore his eyes away from the screen to see that the others were all staring at him. “Nothing.”

“Are you sure?” Virgil said. “You’ve been really weird since you’ve got here.”

“Seriously, Virgil, I’m fine,” Roman said. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Actually, you have been kind of distant,” Elliot said. “I know it’s not my place to say, but you don’t seem like yourself.”

“Yeah, you haven’t tried to start a fight with me once this evening,” Remy piped up. 

Roman exhaled. If Remy of all people had noticed then perhaps he wasn’t as good of an actor as he had hoped. “I suppose there is something troubling me,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Remy rolled over onto his stomach, propped his head up in his hands, and blinked at Roman. “Spill the tea, babes,” he said. 

Elliot shoved him. “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to, Roman,” they said, “but if you need to talk-”

“Actually, that might be helpful,” Roman said. “I, uh- it’s kind of embarrassing.” 

“Aw, come on, it’s just us girls,” Remy said. “And Elliot,” he added. 

“You’re not helping,” Virgil rolled his eyes. “What is it, Roman?” 

Taking a deep breath, Roman focused his attention on Remy who matched the intensity of his stare. “Would you…would you- How do you feel about, maybe, um, kissing me?” he said.

There was a long silence that followed; whatever the three of them had been expecting Roman to say, it was clearly _not_ that. 

“What the fuck?” Virgil said finally. “Are you joking? That was a joke, right?”

“Obviously, Roman just has good taste,” Remy said smugly. “Don’t be jealous.”

“I’m not jealous!” Virgil hissed through his teeth.

“You sound a little jealous,” Elliot mumbled.

“I just don’t understand,” Virgil said, addressing Roman as he spoke. “You don’t even like Remy. No offence, Remy,” he added.

“None taken,” Remy said happily.

“I never said I didn’t like Remy, I like you,” Roman said to Remy who was looking more and more entertained. “I just don’t know you.”

That was both true and not. He didn’t know that Remy that well, but he wasn’t actually sure if he liked him or not. He just didn’t want to come across as a jerk by telling him so.  

“Enough to kiss him?” Virgil scoffed. “Have you lost your mind? When’s the last time you even had a private conversation with him, huh?” 

“This is totes adorbs,” Remy cooed. “I’m delighted that you’re all fighting over me but there is really no need. You see Roman, I am-”

“It’s not a question of liking him,” Roman said to Virgil, ignoring Remy. “I just need to practice kissing someone.”

“Why?” Elliot questioned. 

Roman told them all about his conversation with Stephanie and his fears, and just as he had expected they thought he was making a big deal out of nothing. Even Virgil, who’d had his share of girlfriends before and therefore many kisses, appeared slightly amused at Roman’s expense. 

He told them how Stephanie had suggested finding someone else to practice with if he was so worried about ruining their show, and that caught Remy’s attention. “So, wait,” he said. “You thought to come to _me_ and not Virgil, your super cute best friend who you’ve shared everything else with?” 

“That’s what Stephanie said,” Roman said, curious as to why everyone kept suggesting that. “I can’t do that!”

“Why not?” Elliot said.

“Because I- It’s crazy!” Roman said. “Virgil wouldn’t want that. That’s- Don’t be ridiculous!”

 _"Me_ being ridiculous? You’re the one who was willing to kiss Remy,” Elliot said.

“Yeah, but,” Roman fumbled for an excuse and was dismayed when he couldn’t conjure up one. “Virgil-”

“Virgil is right here, and is tired of everyone talking about him like he isn’t,” Virgil said. “You could ask me what I think, you know.” 

“Sorry,” Roman blushed, “but you agree that this is insane.”

Virgil shrugged. “I mean, it’s only a kiss.” 

 _Only a kiss._ Everyone kept saying that, as if it wasn’t something that really mattered to Roman, as if it wasn’t something more.

“Is that what you think?” he asked Virgil. “It’s only a kiss?”

“Yes, no- I just mean,” Virgil sighed, running his hand through his hair. “It’s just that- I _am_ your best friend, right?”

“You have been for the last seven years,” Roman said. “Are you only reaching this conclusion now?”

“No, you idiot,” Virgil huffed. “I just think that if you’re nervous about it, wouldn’t it make more sense to do it with someone you’re more comfortable with? That way you can see it’s not such a big deal.”

“Virgil has a point,” Elliot said. “He’s a much better choice than Remy.” 

“Well, what about you?” Roman said.

“Elliot has a boyfriend,” Remy replied, pulling himself up into a sitting position. “Why are you so against kissing Virgil?”

Roman _wasn’t_. He was just nervous about it. “What if I’m really bad?”

“Everyone is bad their first time,” Elliot shrugged.

“What if I’m really, _really_ bad?” Roman said.

“Then you keep practicing,” Elliot was starting to sound bored. “Look, either you do it or you don’t, but can we please not spend the whole night debating this.”

Remy nodded. “Agreed. What’s it gonna be?” he raised an eyebrow at Roman.

_Yes, Roman. What are you going to do?_

“Uh,” he looked at Virgil helplessly, as if he expected his friend to have all the answers.

Virgil shook his head. “It’s your call, Princey,” he said. “I’m not deciding for you.”

Roman almost wished he would; why did he have to choose? 

Roman thought about what Remy had said earlier, and it was true that he and Virgil had shared just about everything together. Why should this be any different? Roman had a problem, and his friend was willing to help him out with it, just as he had always done.

Roman gave a jerk of his head. “Okay.”

“Pardon?” Remy said, his signature smirk back on his lips.

“I said okay,” Roman said nervously. “I need the help,” he said to Virgil. “Please.”

“You’re sure?” Virgil asked.

“Yeah,” Roman said before he could give himself anymore time to overthink it. “Just...Yep.”  
  
“Alright,” Virgil leaned in tentatively, his eyes darting to Roman's wide ones. "It's okay, Princey. It's just us. You can breathe." He tried to keep his voice light, almost amused, like he totally did this every day and his stomach _wasn’t_ in knots. 

"I know that! It's...it's good. That it's us, I mean," Roman stammered nervously, licking his lips as he scooted just a little closer. 

"Just kiss already!" Remy demanded.

Virgil rolled his eyes before closing them and finally bridging the distance, their lips brushing together in a soft, achingly sweet kiss. He moved closer, practically melting into it as Roman wrapped his arms around him, slowly returning his kiss, tasting him. It was like a missing piece slotting into place, like coming home. Virgil might have made a breathy sound of contentment, or maybe that was Roman, but the snort of amusement from Elliot brought him back to reality. Virgil reluctantly broke the kiss and sat back, his heart pounding in his chest, waiting for Roman's reaction. 

Roman sat frozen in place, stunned. He'd never felt anything like that before! He opened his eyes, when had he closed them? His breath was short and fast as he stared at his best friend. "Oh." 

"Eloquent. Ten out of ten." Remy mimed holding up a scorecard. 

"There's no way that's the first time you two kissed." Elliot said, looking from one to the other. "I'm calling bullshit."

“Shut up,” Virgil said, his cheeks reddening.

Remy laughed. “I cannot believe you did that,” he said.

“You told us to!” Roman insisted, finally tearing his eyes away from Virgil.

“Bitch, since when do you listen to me?” Remy said. “I didn’t think you’d actually go through with it.”  

Virgil opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but before the words could come out, a call came from the other room. 

“Kids! The food’s ready! Everyone please wash up before dinner!” Emile’s cheerful voice broke whatever spell was left in the room, and with one final smirk at the boys, Remy clammored to his feet and headed towards the kitchen. 

Roman swallowed and slowly followed, trying to put what had just happened out of his mind. 

He felt as if he were on autopilot as he followed the others; he washed his hands and sat down at the table, his mind racing. 

He was confused as to why Remy had been so persistent on trying to get them to kiss, was he not as in love with Virgil as Roman had believed? Come to think of it, where had Roman gotten the idea that they were a couple? Virgil had never shown any interest in boys, and he would have told Roman if they were dating. He told Roman everything, they went through everything together.

Including first kisses, supposedly. Well, okay, that hadn’t been Virgil’s first kiss but one could argue that it was Virgil’s first kiss with a boy.

A boy.

Virgil was a boy. What did that mean? Did Roman like boys?

No, of course not! That was crazy. 

 _Get it together, Roman,_ he chastised himself. _It was one kiss. It’s not like you’re getting married or anything._

Marriage? Where had that come from? At this point Roman’s train of thought had completely derailed from its track, and his head was swirling with more questions than answers. 

He was distracted by all of his worries when a new issue was placed in front of him: dinner.

Aubrey put the plate of food down, and Roman realised with panic that this was one meal he could not refuse. He didn’t know the Picani family well enough, and he didn’t want to seem rude or ungrateful.

He wasn’t sure that he could force himself to eat it though; there were clearly a lot of carbohydrates in this meal. Everyone started to dig into the meals and Roman watched them, feeling queasy. 

“Is everything okay, Roman?” Aubrey asked. “I’d be happy to make you something else if pasta isn’t your thing.”

“No, thank you,” Roman said and he saw Remy signing to his mother. “This is delicious. I just had a big lunch is all.” 

“No, you didn’t,” Virgil said.

“It’s okay,” Emile said before Roman could argue back. “Just eat whatever you can, Roman. We’ll save the rest for leftover night.” 

Roman nodded gratefully, and picked up his fork with shaking hands. “So, how have all you kids been?” Aubrey said in an obvious attempt to ease the tension. 

“I’ll say I’m good for now,” Virgil said, “but boy, do I have some stories for you on Tuesday, Emile.” 

Emile chuckled which relaxed the room a little, and it wasn’t long before they were all taking and enjoying the food.

All except for Roman, that was. He forced down as much food as he could, each swallow felt as easy as devouring glass would have been, and by the time he had gotten through a quarter of it, everyone else was finished.

He apologised to Aubrey who told him not to worry about it and she took his plate away, allowing him to go and catch up with the others.

“What do you want to do now?” Elliot asked when Roman joined them in the living-room. “We could watch another movie?”

“Fine with me,” Virgil said, “but I’ve got to call home before we do anything.”

“Why? Is everything okay?” Roman questioned.

“Yeah, it’s just the first night I haven’t been home since Thomas joined us,” Virgil said. “I promised him that I’d call him to say goodnight.”

“Aw, so sweet,” Remy said.

“Shut up,” Virgil snapped, and left the room with his phone.

“While he’s doing that, I’m just going to go to the bathroom,” Roman said to the other two.

“You remember where it is?” Remy said. 

Roman nodded. Of course he did. “All good,” he replied with a bright smile. “I’ll be right back.’

 

* * *

 

“Where’s Roman?” were the first words out of Virgil’s mouth when he returned.

“Bathroom,” Elliot said. “I swear you two can’t be apart for more than five minutes.”

“You’re one to talk,” Virgil teased. “I need to tell him something, that’s all.”

“You look like the cat that caught the canary,” Remy noted. “What’s going on?”

“I think I should wait for Roman,” Virgil said. “I want him to know before anyone.”

“Know what?” Roman said as he wandered back into the room.

“That- Hey, are you okay?” Virgil said, his smile vanishing.

Remy could see why Virgil had asked; Roman was deathly pale, his forehead was drenched in sweat and he was trembling. “I’m fine, I’m just a little tired,” he said. “What was it you wanted to say?”

It was clear that Virgil was torn; he wanted to keep questioning his friend but he must have decided that his news was too important because he blurted out, “it’s Aunt Megan!”

“Megan?” Roman said. “What about her? Is she okay? Oh no, she’s not-”

“She’s awake,” Virgil said excitedly.

Remy let out a sigh of relief. He had liked Megan from the first time he had met her, but more than that, he didn’t want either Roman or Virgil to have to suffer anymore. They had been through enough. 

“She- She- She, what?” Roman stammered.

“She’s awake,” Virgil repeated. “Dad said that the hospital rang them about an hour ago. She’s having trouble talking and she’s really out of it but she’s responding really well to the doctors. We might be able to see her in a few days and-” Virgil gave a yelp when Roman hugged him, lifting him off the floor. 

Elliot and Remy exchanged grins before jumping to their feet and throwing their arms around the other two, making it a group hug.

“Too many people are touching me right now,” Virgil whined, but it didn’t really have much of an effect on them when he was giggling as he said it. 

He allowed the hug to continue for another thirty seconds before he wiggled his way out of it, still grinning. “How’d your parents take it?” Elliot asked curiously.

“Dad said that Pa is still crying because he’s so happy,” Virgil said. “I just can’t believe we ever doubted her.”

Roman chorted, wiping at his eyes. “You know she’s going to kick our asses for that, right?”

“Oh yeah,” Virgil said. 

Remy got the feeling he didn’t mind, though. 

The four of them stayed up talking for hours, and by the time the sun had started to come up, they figured there was no point in going back to bed at all. 

Remy stumbled into the kitchen a little before nine, trying to keep his eyes open. He usually would have been irritated about missing a night of sleep but they had finally all been getting along and had such a good time that he couldn’t find it in himself to be angry. 

He walked over to the coffee pot, not even bothering to get a mug and just poured all the contents into his mouth. “Late night?” Emile laughed as he entered the room.

Remy grunted in reply. 

Emile grabbed a box of Lucky Charms out of the cupboard and set about making himself some cereal. “How’s Roman?” he asked when he deemed Remy caffeinated enough to speak to. 

“He seems okay, why?” Remy said.

“I heard him in the bathroom last night,” Emile said. “It sounded like he was really sick.” 

“Sick?” Remy echoed. “He never said anything about that.”

“It could have been nothing,” Emile mused. “All the same, you should watch out for him. He seems troubled.”

“You got it, Pops,” Remy said. “I can recommend him a pretty good therapist if he needs.” 

 

* * *

 

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

Roman leapt away from the wall as Remy’s footsteps grew louder. He had been going to grab Virgil a drink of water when he had heard Emile and Remy talking; he hadn’t intended to eavesdrop but when Emile had mentioned his name, Roman had pressed his ear against the wall to listen.

He discovered to his horror that Emile had heard him the night before. He hadn’t wanted that to happen.

After finishing his dinner the night before, he had excused himself to the bathroom only to do something he didn’t think he ever would; he had stuck his fingers down his throat and had forced himself to bring up everything he had eaten.

He couldn’t explain why he had done it, he just had. He had felt heavy, ashamed from eating so much at dinner, and making himself throw up had somehow cleansed him of that guilt.

But it was nothing to worry about. He was fine. He had it under control.

He had it under control.

Roman’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he jumped; he scrambled for the phone and accepted the call without seeing who it was.

“Hello?”

“Roman.”

“Mom?” Roman said in surprise; why on earth was his mother calling him?

“Where are you?” his mother demanded, straight to the point as always. 

“At Re-” Roman caught himself mid sentence; would his mother even care or know who Remy was? Probably not. “It doesn’t matter. What’s wrong?”

“It’s your grandmother,” Mandy said. “She’s had a heart attack.”

Roman’s insides went cold. What? Surely, he had heard that wrong. There was no way that was possible. He had visited her a few days earlier, and she had been good, great even! No, a heart attack? That didn’t make sense. 

“Is-Is she okay?” he said, not sure that he wanted to know the answer.

“No,” Mandy said. “She’s dead, Roman.”

  



	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Death mention, swearing, food mention, slight violence and injury mention, eating disorder.

* * *

 

“Hey Virgil, can you come here?”

When Virgil had followed the sound of Remy’s voice, he hadn’t really known why he was being called, but he still didn’t expect to come across what he did. 

Roman was sitting on the floor just outside the kitchen, his face hidden in his hands and his phone lit up next to him. Remy was standing in the doorway with Emile, both of them watching Roman nervously.

“Princey?” Virgil said with a frown, kneeling down in front of his friend. “Roman, are you okay?”

Obviously he was not, and Virgil felt rather stupid asking such a question, but he didn’t know what else to say. He picked up the phone at Roman’s side and checked the caller ID, a little annoyed to discover that it was Roman’s mother on the other end.

What had she done to upset Roman now? He figured Roman wasn’t going to tell him so Virgil decided he would find out for himself.

“Hello?” He said, holding the phone up to his ear. “Mrs. Prince?”

“Who is this?” Virgil had never had a conversation with Roman’s mother before, but already he wasn’t fond of her. She sounded demanding, rude, and he was certain that she had had a big hand in ruining Roman’s self-esteem.

“It’s Virgil, Mrs. Prince,” Virgil explained. “Roman’s,” for a reason unknown to him, Virgil hesitated for the merest second. “Roman’s friend.”

“I see,” Mandy responded. “I suppose he’s too distraught by the news? It would make sense. He was always closest to her.”

What was this woman babbling on about? “The news?” Virgil said. “What news?”

Mandy sighed. “My mother-in-law Aurora had a heart attack and died this morning,” she said. 

She was speaking to Virgil like he was a small toddler who couldn’t grasp the basics of communication, but he didn’t care; he was too busy trying to swallow the news he’d just been given.

Aurora had died. Roman’s stern but sweet elderly grandmother was gone forever, and Mandy was acting as though she’d just gone for a leisurely morning stroll. 

Oh this was bad, this was very bad. Roman was already dealing with so much, and Virgil could tell he was struggling. This was the last thing that he needed.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Virgil said, and he sincerely meant it. “She was a great lady.”

“Hmm, it depends on how you knew her,” Mandy muttered, “though I shan’t speak ill of the dead.”

Virgil wasn’t sure how to take that. “Uh, I should probably go,” he said. “I can have Roman call you back later?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Mandy said. “I just thought he should know. I should be going now anyway. Have a good day, Virgin.”

Virgil had been called that by bullies at his school before, and it didn’t really bother him, but he got the feeling that Mandy hadn’t even done it on purpose; she had truly thought that was his name.

Somehow, her ignorance was more frustrating than any insult had been.

“Thanks,” he said coldly before he hung up the phone. 

He saw that Elliot and Aubrey had joined the others at the doorway, and he addressed them all.

“Roman’s grandmother-“ Virgil paused, realising it might be a bit tactless to say such a thing in front of Roman. “She, uh-“

“Died.” Roman pulled his hands away from his face, and let them drop down onto his lap. “She died.” 

There was something about Roman’s eyes that frightened Virgil. There was no anger or sadness, there were no tears or pain. Instead, Roman’s eyes were blank, expressionless and empty. There was nothing, and that was so much worse than any kind of reaction would have been. 

“I’m so sorry, Roman,” Emile said, being the first to break the unbearable silence. “That’s just terrible.”

Roman barely acknowledged him. “Do you want to go back to my house?” Virgil asked quietly. 

The Picani’s were lovely but Virgil knew that Roman needed a place that was familiar and comforting to him; nowhere brought as much solace as Patton and Logan’s home did.

Roman gave a tiny nod of his head and Virgil stood up, helping Roman to his feet.

“Sorry to ruin the day,” he said to Remy and Elliot once Roman had left to go get his bag, “but I think we’re going to go.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Elliot said. “You didn’t ruin anything.”

“And Roman’s not driving you home,” Remy added. “Give his keys to Elliot, they can take you two in Roman’s car, and I’ll follow with my car to give Elliot a ride back here.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Virgil said.

“I wasn’t asking,” Remy said firmly, and Virgil shot him a grateful smile. He was glad then that Remy and Elliot were there.

He quickly made sure to thank Remy’s parents for allowing them to stay the night, and apologize for things going wrong, but they waved his concern away with understanding smiles.

“You’re welcome here anytime, Virgil, you know that,” Aubrey said. “So is Roman. I’m just sorry this happened to you. Take care of yourselves.”

He assured her that he would, and ten minutes later he was in the passenger seat of Roman’s car, exiting the driveway of the Picani house.

Roman handed over his car keys to Elliot without complaint and curled up in the back, his head leaning against the window. 

Virgil watched him in the rearview mirror, his whole being aching with the desire to console his friend. Why did Roman have to suffer so much? The poor guy hadn’t caught a break since he had been back from England. 

The more Virgil studied Roman, the more he saw just how defeated Roman appeared.. He was thin...too thin, almost gaunt, and his face had taken on a paleness that rivaled Virgil’s own. Dark bags sat under his eyes that could give a racoon a run for its money, and his gaze was as distant as ever.

To put it simply, Roman looked very unwell, and the added stress of his grandmother’s death was something that Virgil knew would not help. 

By the time they pulled up outside Virgil’s house, Roman was nearly asleep.

"Princey," Virgil said, shaking him gently. Roman gasped and his eyes flew open, and Virgil immediately felt a wave of guilt wash over him.

"Sorry, Roman, sorry," he murmured, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible. "Do you wanna go up to my room?” 

Roman nodded, and went to undo his seatbelt. His movements were slow and mechanical, and Virgil's heart tightened in his chest. Eventually, Virgil managed to get him through the front door, but the small victory did little to relax him.

Elliot and Remy entered the house just in time to see Roman disappear up the stairs, Virgil turned to them with a sigh. “Thanks for driving us,” he said to Elliot, “and I’m really sorry about this,” he added to Remy.

“Gurl, stop.”

“We just hope that Roman will be okay,” Elliot replied.

Virgil didn’t want to say it but he wasn’t so sure that Roman would be.

 “Let’s go find my dads,” he said.

The three of them went off in search of Patton and Logan, finding them in the backyard with Thomas and Zero. 

“Virge is home!” Thomas squealed; he scrambled to his feet and ran over to embrace his brother. “You’re home!”

“Hey, Thomas,” Virgil said as he returned the hug. “Yup, I’m home.”

“Hi Remy! Hi Let!” Thomas waved at the other two who waved back.

“You are back much earlier than we expected,” Logan said, making his way over with Patton. “Where is Roman?”

The teenagers shared a knowing look, and Virgil nudged Thomas forward a bit. “Why don’t you go show Remy and Elliot your new pet?” he suggested.

Thomas’s eyes lit up. “Yes!” He said. “Come see my puppy,” he ordered. 

“That sounds like fun,” Elliot said.

Patton waited until Thomas was out of earshot before he spoke. “Virgil, what’s wrong, kiddo?”

“Roman’s gran died,” Virgil said. There was really no way of sugarcoating it. “She had a heart attack.”

Patton gasped, his hands flying up to his mouth. “Oh no,” he whispered. “Poor Roman!”

“Yeah,” Virgil said. “Is it okay if Roman stays here for a bit? He’s upstairs in my room now. I think he’s in shock.”

“Of course it is,” Logan said. “He can stay as long as he needs to. However, are you okay?”

He knew why Logan was asking. Even after all these years, Virgil still hated anything to do with the topic of death, and he avoided talking about it as much as he could. 

“I’m okay,” he said. “I think I’m just going to see Roman now. He was pretty close to her so he’s not taking it too well.”

“Let us know if you need anything,” Patton said. “You know we’re here for you. Both of you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Virgil smiled weakly. He said goodbye to Remy and Elliot who were busy getting tongue baths from Zero, and he went upstairs.

Roman had already kicked off his sneakers and crawled under the blankets by the time Virgil entered the bedroom. 

“Can I get you anything, Roman?” Virgil asked hesitantly. He felt helpless, he really didn’t know what to do. He wanted nothing more than to fix Roman, to help take away his pain, but he just didn’t know how to.

Roman shook his head. _No._

“Do you want me to stay with you?” 

Roman nodded. _Yes._

Virgil removed his own shoes and his hoodie, and got into the bed next to his friend. Roman shuffled closer and rested his head on Virgil’s chest, and Virgil wrapped his arms around Roman securely. “You want to talk?” he asked.

“No,” Roman said softly. “I think I just want to sleep,” he glanced up at Virgil. “You won’t leave me, right?”

“Where would I go? It’s my bed,” Virgil pointed out.

Roman didn’t smile. “You know what I mean,” he said. 

“Don’t worry,” Virgil said. “I’m not going anywhere, Princey.”

“Good,” Roman mumbled. His eyes drifted closed, and almost instantly he was asleep.

Roman didn’t stir once for the rest of the day, and he slept through the entire night. Virgil, however, couldn’t even doze; his mind was too busy racing.

He knew that he should have been focused on Aurora, but the truth was that he just wasn’t. He had liked Roman’s grandmother, she had been lovely but honestly, Virgil had not known her very well, and she had been so fragile when he had first met her that her death wasn’t as much as a shock as it probably should have been.

What was actually occupying the majority of Virgil’s thoughts was Roman.

Virgil knew it was wrong, he knew it was poor timing but he couldn’t help it; he just kept thinking about the fact that they had kissed.

He had kissed Roman...his best friend, the first real friend he’d ever had. Roman...who he had a freaking crush on.

Virgil had gone through his share of girlfriends, mostly because he could never bring himself to disappoint people and say no when they asked him out, but none of them had ever made him feel the way that Roman -or boys in general- did. 

It wasn’t until after meeting Remy and Elliot that Virgil had come to the realization that perhaps girls just weren’t his thing; his new friends had pointed out the fact that he spent every waking minute with them talking about Roman. During Roman’s second month in England, Remy had asked Virgil outright if he had a crush on his friend, which Virgil had scoffed at, but his denial only cemented Remy’s opinion.

When it finally did sink in for Virgil that he actually _liked_ Roman, he’d immediately gone to Remy and Elliot. The two of them had managed to calm him down from his panicked ranting, but not without a fair amount of chuckling at his distress over what they considered to be something obvious.

But it wasn’t until Roman had kissed him that Virgil had truly understood that he did not like girls romantically at all.

He had never kissed a girl and been left wanting more, or had spent the whole day thing about it even though it was the worst possible time to be obsessing over it.

Virgil sighed heavily. He had no problem with being gay, and for obvious reasons he also had no issue with people who were gay, but he still didn’t like the whole idea of having to come out to people. He really didn’t want his loved ones to think any differently of him; hopefully they wouldn’t.

He reasoned with himself that he didn’t have to tell anyone until he was ready, and he could always start with Patton and Logan.

He had a pretty strong feeling that they wouldn’t mind. 

 

* * *

 

A knock on his bedroom door pulled Virgil from his very light sleep the next morning. “Come in,” he called out.

The second the door opened, a flash of white went by and leapt up onto Virgil’s bed, licking Roman madly. “Jack?” Roman mumbled groggily, reaching out to scratch the dog. “How’d you get here?” 

“Henry brought him from your house,” Patton explained, standing in the doorway with Henry. 

“I thought you might like to see him,” Henry said. “How are you holding up?” 

Roman sat up and shrugged. “I should go.”

Virgil was glad to see that Henry and Patton also looked confused at these words. “Go where, kiddo?” Patton asked.

“Home.” Roman said. “Dad texted me and said that they’re going to plan the funeral.”

Virgil had to refrain from rolling his eyes, Roman’s phone had gone off multiple times during the night and now Virgil knew why.

“I see,” Henry said, “and they said that they wanted you there to help?” 

“No,” Roman said, “but if I don’t go then they’re going to do everything wrong. They won’t choose the right flowers or- or the- they didn’t know her like I did- they’ll do everything wrong- they don’t care-” his breathing was starting to increase and Henry stepped into the room.

“Roman,” he said calmly. “Give me your phone.”

“Wh-What? Why?” Roman said, looking helplessly between his phone, Virgil and Henry.

“Because you’re going to stay here with the Sanders family,” Henry ordered, “and you are going to rest, and nobody is going to bother you. Not today.”

“But I have to go- they’ll do it wrong,” Roman insisted. 

Virgil found himself agreeing with Henry, the last thing he wanted was for Roman to leave, especially in the state he was in.

“I’ll go for you,” Henry said. “I’ll text Virgil whenever an important choice comes up and you can tell me what you want done, okay?” 

“You- You- But they’re really forceful,” Roman said. “They’ll do anything to have it their way.”

“Yeah, well, I can be forceful too,” Henry pressed. “Give me your phone.”

Roman picked up his phone from the bedside table. “You promise to keep me updated?” he murmured.

“I swear to you that no decision will be made without your input,” Henry said firmly. 

Roman hesitated for only a brief second before he handed over his phone to Henry who pocketed it. “Thanks, Henry,” Roman said.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like someone to go with you?” Patton said.

Henry shook his head. “No, just look after Roman for me, alright?” he said. “I’ll come back later and return his phone.”

“Thank you, Uncle Henry,” Virgil said. He was truly glad that Henry was there, he didn’t trust Roman’s parents not to do something to hurt Roman.

“I’ll text you, Virgil,” Henry said and left. 

Once Patton had gone too, Roman flopped back down onto the mattress and shut his eyes again. Virgil wondered if he should be concerned about the amount of sleep Roman had been getting in the last few hours. “Princey, are you okay if I go downstairs for a bit?” He was starting to get cramps from being in the one spot for too long.

“Hmmm.”

Virgil took that as a yes. “Keep an eye on him,” he said to Jack. The dog barked, stretching out across Roman’s stomach, and Virgil knew Roman was in good paws.

Sally was sitting at the bottom of the stairs and he stopped to give her a scratch under her chin. “How you doing, girl?” he said softly. “I hope you’re feeling better than the rest of us.” 

He wandered into the living-room where the rest of his family was. Patton was reading on the sofa next to Logan, who was watching a documentary about insects, and Thomas was sitting on the floor across from Zero with a plate of fruit and a drink next to him. 

Virgil took the spot on the other side of Logan and scrolled through his phone for awhile, alternating between responding to the occasional text from Henry and going to get Roman’s suggestion on plans for the funeral. 

He had only just opened up a message from Remy when Logan cleared his throat, “Thomas, that is your breakfast not the dog’s.” 

Virgil peered at Thomas who was trying to sneak a piece of watermelon to Zero. “Aww,” he pouted, “but she’s hungry, Papa!” 

“She has her own food, buddy,” Patton laughed, leaning forward and ruffling Thomas’s hair. 

“Okay,” Thomas exhaled loudly and Virgil snickered, Thomas was more dramatic than Roman sometimes.

 Thomas pulled himself up onto the sofa with his plate, and handed Virgil a half eaten orange slice. “Uh, thanks?” Virgil said, slightly disgusted.

“We can share,” Thomas beamed at him.

There was positively no way that Virgil could refuse that, so he shared the fruit with his brother, questioning how kids could be so endearing and so gross at the same time. 

“There’s a butterfly!” Thomas announced suddenly, pointing at what had appeared on the television screen.

“Yes, that is a Ceraunus blue, Thomas,” Logan said and Thomas giggled.

“No, it’s a butterfly!”

Virgil snorted. “I suppose you are not wrong,” Logan said with a fond smile. 

They continued to watch the television until the documentary had ended, and Thomas placed his plate and cup down on the coffee table. “All done, please and thank you,” he told Patton. 

“Did you have enough to eat, buddy?” Patton asked, grabbing a wipe off the table and cleaning Thomas’s hands. “Do you want more?”

“No more, please and thank you,” he replied. He waited dutifully until Patton had finished before he jumped down off the sofa and rushed over to his box of toys, Zero bounding after him.

 _They are so cute,_ Virgil thought. 

He got up and made some breakfast for himself, quietly nibbling on some toast, and trained his eyes on Patton and Logan as he settled onto the armchair in the corner. 

They seemed to notice his intense stare after some time. “Everything okay, Virgil?”

“What?” Virgil said. “Oh, yeah...No...Maybe.”

“You seem troubled,” Logan said kindly. “Are you concerned about Roman?” 

“Yeah, I am, but that’s not I’m thinking about right now,” Virgil admitted, the slightest bit of guilt bubbling in his stomach. “There’s something I want to tell you but given everything that’s happening, it’s probably not a good time.”

Patton closed his book and sat up straighter. “Virgil,” he said, “just because Roman is going through something doesn’t mean your worries are any less important.”

“I guess I just feel stupid,” Virgil said. “His grandma just died, and I’m thinking about myself.”

“You are not stupid,” Logan said. “Patton is right, if something is upsetting you then you should share it.” 

“It’s not upsetting me- well, I-” Virgil took a deep breath. “In a way it is, and I’m a little nervous to say it to you, which is dumb because you of all people would understand, and-” he broke off. “I’m babbling, aren’t I?”

“Just a little,” Patton said.

“I’m just going to say it because I need to get it over with,” Virgil said. “It’s like ripping off a band-aid,” he mused and steeled himself. “I’m gay.” 

There was a short pause and Logan opened his mouth to say something but Virgil blurted out, “At least I think so.”

“Virgil.”

“I only really worked it out last night,” Virgil said, “and that’s not really enough time to be certain, is it?”

“Virgil.”

“But I know that I don’t like girls- at least not in that way, girls are nice, but I don’t feel anything, you know what I mean?” Virgil said. “I’m sorry if this disappoints you - I mean, maybe you had a plan when you adopted me of who you wanted me to be. Maybe you wanted a straight kid, I don’t know. I’d understand if you want to disown me or something, I’m pretty fu-”

“Virgil,” Logan said, much more forcefully this time. “Stop.” 

Virgil promptly shut his mouth. Oh God, they hated him now, didn’t they?

 _Why are you this way, Virgil?_ He asked himself.

“Virgil, do you really think that we would be unhappy about this?” Logan said.

Virgil shrugged. “I dunno.”

“Kiddo,” Patton said, his eyes shining, “you and I have had this discussion before, years ago. We adopted you because you are _you_ , not because we wanted you to be somebody else”

“Exactly,” Logan said. “We are your parents. It is not our job to decide who you are, it is our job to support you as you are.” 

Virgil didn’t know how to respond and Patton smiled. “Virgil, we get it,” he said. “Everything you’re feeling right now, Logan and I completely understand, and it’s hard. Telling the world who you are is one of the hardest things you could ever do, but it’s also one of the bravest.”

“Figuring yourself out is not something that has to be done overnight,” Logan said. “It is something that can span over a lifetime, and people change constantly, every second of every day you are becoming a different version of yourself. Do not put so much pressure on yourself.”

_Damn it, Virgil. Don’t cry._

“If this is who you are then we’re happy for you,” Patton said, “and we’re always going to be.”

“Yes,” Logan agreed, smiling. “We are proud of you.”

Virgil rubbed at his eyes roughly, trying to act as if they weren’t filled with tears. “You guys are the worst,” he said with a watery chuckle.

But they weren’t really. Not by a longshot.

 

* * *

 

Roman came downstairs just after midday and he hovered in the doorway until Patton told him to take a seat. “Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?”

“No, thank you,” Roman said to the surprise of nobody.

“Is there anything we can do for you, Roman?” Logan asked. 

“No, I just want-”

But what Roman wanted they never found out because at that moment Thomas gave a loud gasp. “Uncle Henny!” he said. “Your eye is funny!” 

They hadn’t heard Henry return but he was standing where Roman had been only seconds earlier, and there was a large dark bruise forming under his right eye. 

Patton jumped up at once. “I’ll go get some ice,” he said.

“What the hell happened to you?” Virgil asked.

“Well, Roman said that Aurora loved roses,” Henry begun, perching himself on the edge of the coffee table. “But Rohan kept insisting on daisies.”

“Gran would have wanted the roses,” Roman protested weakly.

“That’s what I kept telling him,” Henry said, “but he kept fighting me. He was so positive that she wanted the damn daisies, so I said that she would have the roses.”

“And then?”

“And then, Rohan got annoyed at me,” Henry explained. “He said that Roman should be there not me, and I told him that I was the one who made Roman stay behind, and then he started yelling.”

“And he gave you a black eye?” Patton said, returning with an ice pack which he passed over to Henry.

“No,” Henry said. “He gave me a black eye after I broke his nose.” 

A pregnant pause followed. 

“You did what?” Virgil said.

“I know he’s your father, Roman,” Henry sighed in relief as he pressed the ice pack up to his eye, “but he was being a major dick.” 

“He’s probably going to sue you for that,” Roman said. 

“He already threatened me,” Henry said. “I told him to go ahead and do it. I informed him that I’d sue him for child negligence, and he shut up really quickly,” Henry smirked. “I told you that I could be forceful.” 

Everyone stared at Henry. “You know,” Logan said after a minute. “I think Megan is starting to rub off on you. You have been hanging around her too long.”

“I can’t believe you punched him,” Roman said. “You actually broke his nose?”

“Without a doubt,” Henry said, looking far too proud. “He ordered that I fix it.”

“And did you?” Patton said.

“No way,” Henry scoffed. “I told him to ring an ambulance and find a competent doctor since he thinks I’m so bad at my job.” He rolled his eyes, then winced at the motion, pressing the ice back against his eye. “Don’t worry though, I got the freaking roses.”

Roman’s shoulders started to shake and he let out a laugh, the kind of laugh that Virgil hadn’t heard from him in a long time; it was the type of laugh that started deep within one's stomach and didn’t stop until the ribs were hurting.

And then, quite suddenly, Roman wasn’t laughing anymore.

Virgil saw it before anyone else, and he moved as fast as he could. Roman’s tears of mirth had quickly turned to tears of sadness, the bout of laughter giving way to be replaced with loud, heavy sobs that wracked his entire body.

Virgil reached Roman first, and although the others embraced him too, it was Virgil that Roman clung to. “It’s okay, Princey,” Virgil whispered as he held him. “I’m here. You’re okay.”

He wished he could say more, he wished he could do more. 

He remembered his promise to Aurora, the way she had been so reassured when she had heard he would be there for her grandson, and he would be.

Virgil would grant Aurora this one final request; he would get Roman through this, he had to.

He just had to.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Henry is one badass mother fluffer. Also writing Virgil's POV again was fun.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Swearing, funeral, death mention, negative thoughts, smoking, eating disorders, food mention, child and animal abuse mention.

* * *

 

Roman stayed with the Sanders for nearly a week after hearing about his grandmother. The days passed by in a blur, and before Roman knew it, Thursday morning had come. As soon as Roman realized what day it was, he wanted to crawl right back into Virgil’s bed and stay there until the end of time. 

Today was Aurora’s funeral.

Both Virgil’s parents and Henry had suggested that he take a few days off from school, but Roman had refused, finding that the mindless routine of it all helped keep his mind distracted. But now, on the morning of the funeral, there was nothing in the world that could keep Roman from thinking about her. 

It was silly, really, how Roman was reacting to this whole situation. He’d lost people before (his grandfather, for instance) and he’d known that his grandmother was getting on in years. Really, it shouldn’t be surprising that her health had failed. He shouldn’t have been so shocked. But he’d had hope that she still had time, that the end wouldn’t have come quite so soon.

He’d been stupid to have that hope.

“Shower’s free.” Virgil’s voice pulled Roman from his own head for the moment, and he glanced over at his friend who was already dressed for the funeral. 

The Sanders family had been nice enough to offer to go with Roman to the funeral, and he had accepted immediately; he wasn’t sure he could do it alone. 

“Thank you,” Roman said, taking his own outfit out of the cupboard which Patton had kindly ironed for him.

The chime of the doorbell sounded throughout the house and Jack barked loudly, sprinting out of the room. “That’ll be Grandma and Grandpa,” Virgil said. “They’re going to babysit Thomas while we’re gone.”

Roman nodded, not really listening; there was a shrill ringing his in his ears and his head was pounding.

_Just let today end already._

He moved slowly towards the bathroom and shut the door behind him, not bothering to get undressed as he turned on the tap in the shower. He just got in as he was, sitting down on the tiled floor and letting the freezing cold water soak him and his pyjamas right through to the bone. 

Roman leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, it probably wasn’t the best idea to sleep in the shower but he was tired.

_Who cares? Let me drown._

Could one even drown in a shower? Roman didn’t know. He didn’t know much at all anymore. 

A loud knocking startled him awake some time later, his mind was hazy and it took him a minute to remember where he was.

The taps were still running and he quickly turned it off, making a silent promise to give Patton and Logan the money for their next water bill. 

“Roman? I’m coming in, okay?”

That sounded like Henry. How long had he been out there? He seemed panicked enough so Roman figured he must have been knocking for a while. 

The door opened and Henry stepped in, his hands over his eyes. Roman would have laughed if he could; even as a doctor Henry never liked invading people’s privacy. 

“Roman? Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Roman said quietly. “I have clothes on, it’s okay.”

“Clothes on?” Henry said, perplexed. “I thought I heard the shower going only seconds ago,” he removed his hands from his eyes and gasped. “Roman! You’re nowhere near ready, and you’re dripping wet. We have to leave in half an hour.”

“M’sorry,” Roman said, refusing to meet Henry’s gaze. “I just keep trying to remember.”

“Remember what?” Henry questioned.

“The last time I saw her,” Roman whispered, pulling at a loose thread on his pyjamas. “I can’t remember what we said, or what we did. I think we went for a walk together, but I- I can’t be sure. I don’t even think I told her that I loved her or that she was important to me. I can’t - Why can’t I remember, Henry?”

The saltiness in his mouth told him that the water sliding down his cheeks was no longer from the shower, and Henry sighed.

He opened the shower door and sat down next to Roman, wrapping an arm around the teen’s shoulder. 

“We never know the importance of a final moment until we learn that it truly is a final moment,” he said. 

“I don’t want to go,” Roman admitted in a whisper. “Please don’t make me go.”

“I can’t make you do anything,” Henry said. “I think it would be beneficial for you, but if you really don’t want to then you don’t have to.”

Roman let out a breath that he didn’t even know he’d been holding in. “Thank you,” he said.

He knew it was bad of him, his grandmother would have been upset with him, but he couldn’t muster the energy to go. He was a disappointment, he knew, but he was so drained, physically and emotionally.

“You’re not staying in here though,” Henry said. “You should dry off and get some warm clothes on.”

Roman could see the logic in that, and ten minutes later he found himself back in Virgil’s room with fresh pyjamas. 

What he hadn’t counted on was his father phoning him up to find out was going on. “Henry just told me that you’re not coming,” he said before Roman had even finished saying hello. “Is that true?” 

“I just thought that I could-“

“No.” Rohan interrupted. “You didn’t think and that is the problem. I’ve been lenient enough with you lately, but you’re not getting out of this.”

“Dad, if you’d just let me explain-“ Roman started but his father cut him off for a third time.

“There’s nothing to explain or discuss here,” he said. “After everything your grandmother did for you during her life, don’t you think you at least owe her the decency to pay your respects at her funeral?”

“Yes, sir,” Roman said softly. “I’m sorry.”

It wasn’t as if the thought hadn’t crossed his mind, but hearing his father put it into words made Roman realise how truly selfish he was.

“Will you bring yourself or shall I send Nico to get you?” Rohan said, leaving no room for argument.

“I’ll be there,” Roman said. “No need for a lift.” 

“Then get a move on!” Rohan snapped. “You’ll be late otherwise.”

And the line went dead. 

“He sounds delightful.”

Roman jumped. He had forgotten that Virgil was in the room, sitting at his desk and scrolling through news articles online; Roman wasn’t sure what Virgil was looking for but he didn’t ask, he had more to worry about.

“You heard that?” Roman said, his cheeks reddening. 

“Princey, I’d bet any money that even Aubrey heard that,” Virgil said, spinning around in his chair to face Roman. “You wanna talk about it?”

Roman felt weak and small, as if he were a child who had misbehaved and was under scrutiny. “No,” he said. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Roman.” Virgil sounded unusually gentle. “It’s okay.”

“Of course it is, it’s great,” Roman said. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go and let Henry know that I changed my mind about going.”

“Or had your mind changed for you,” Virgil mumbled, just loud enough for Roman to catch.

Roman didn’t answer as he left the room; he had an inkling that if he stayed, he would have blurted out the truth to Virgil.

The truth being that wherever his grandparents were now, Roman was wishing he was right there with them. 

 

* * *

 

Roman despised funerals. There was nothing worse than having to sit in itchy clothing while a complete stranger rambled on about a life well lived as if they had actually known the person that had been lost.

The closer the chapel got, the more Roman remembered just how much he hated it, and he was starting to regret letting his father talk him into going. 

There were loads of people milling around outside when the family arrived, and Roman was filled with anger at the sight of them.

“So they could make it to her funeral,” he said bitterly, “but they couldn’t be bothered to visit her while she was alive.”

“Don’t let it get to you, Roman,” Henry said. “She knew who really cared.”

“Not these pricks!” Roman said rather loudly.

“Oof, you’re so hot when you’re angry.”

Roman would know that voice anywhere, and he spun around to see Elliot and Remy walking up behind him. 

He intended to ask them just what the hell they were doing here, but instead he said, “Are you flirting with me at my grandmother’s funeral?” 

“Who said anything about flirting?” Remy said. “I was just stating facts.”

To everyone’s surprise, Roman smiled. Finally, _finally,_ someone who wasn’t treating him as though he was going to shatter like broken glass at any second.

“I hope it’s okay that we came here, Roman,” Elliot said. “We wanted to offer our support.”

“Actually I just wanted the day off school,” Remy shrugged.

“Shut up, Remy,” Elliot hissed.

But Roman found it amusing, and for the first time in days, he discovered he was grinning.

“Whatever you’re doing, keep it up,” Summer said, looking between Roman and Remy.

“Oh, you wanna see a magic trick?” Remy asked, before revealing a bouquet of roses from behind his back. “Shit, they were meant to be daisies,” he held them out towards Roman. “Well, I heard your gran liked these better anyway.”

Roman look at the roses, felt his eyes water and immediately hugged Remy.

“Okay, what is happening right now?” Virgil asked.

“I’ll tell you what’s happening,” Remy said as he returned the hug.“I am currently living the fantasy of at least fifty girls and one boy from our school.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Roman saw his dad approaching their little group and he pulled away from Remy, thrust the roses at Henry and shoved his hands into his pockets. 

“I see you finally made it,” Rohan said, stopping just in front of his son. “About time, too. Who are all these people?”

Under his father’s stern gaze, Roman was made aware of just how tall Rohan was and he took a step back, only stopping when he bumped into Elliot. “My-My friends,” Roman stammered. 

“Your friends?” Rohan said, raising an eyebrow. “This isn’t a fun social gathering, Roman.”

_Yes, that will come later at the reception where you will milk Gran’s death for five minutes of attention._

Roman couldn’t say where that thought had come from and he shook his head to be rid of it. “I know, Dad,” he said. “Can we just go in now?”

He was well aware of everyone watching them, and Henry was gripping the roses much tighter than was necessary; the last thing he wanted was another fight to break out. 

“Yes, you will sit in the front row with me and your mother,” Rohan said. “Come along.”

He completely ignored all of Roman’s company, probably deciding that they weren’t worth his time, and disappeared inside the chapel.

Roman started to follow but Virgil grabbed his hand. “You don’t have to go with them, you know?” he said. “You can stay with us.”

Roman was torn. Honestly, he wanted - he _craved_ the comfort of them, the solace of the people he considered his real family, but he was a good son, a loyal son.

“I’ll see you after,” he smiled weakly.

Virgil sighed. “After then,” he said and he let Roman go.

Roman was barely present during the service. He listened to the eulogy, forced himself to laugh with everyone else whenever a funny memory of Aurora was brought up, he even gave a speech of his own; but he couldn’t recall what he said or if it was even any good.

The only thing he could focus his thoughts on was his grandmother. 

Roman’s father had told Roman that she had died in the tiny room of her living facility, not to be found by one of the staff until it was much too late.

All Roman could think about was that she had died alone, scared, and most likely with a strong but understandable hatred for him. 

 

* * *

 

“May I take your coats?”

When Virgil had arrived at Roman’s house for the reception, he had not expected to be greeted by an elderly butler. 

“This place is huge,” Elliot said, staring around with wide eyes. “How many rooms are there?”

“Too many,” Roman said. “Not including the rooms for the staff, there’s eight bedrooms and six bathrooms.”

Virgil could see why Elliot was surprised; from the outside of the house, it appeared to be a normal home in any suburban street, but inside it could almost be compared to a mansion. 

“You didn’t tell us you were loaded,” Remy said to Roman. 

Virgil knew that Roman was quite modest about the amount of money he had; it was why he preferred to stay with the Sanders rather than at his own house. Roman was embarrassed by the way his parents wasted their money, and Virgil now understood why he’d never been invited inside before.

“I’m not,” Roman said. “My parents are.” He took off his jacket and passed it over to the butler. “Everyone, this is Samuel.”

“He even has the perfect butler name. So proper. Samuel,” Remy said and Virgil nudged him.

“Hi Samuel,” Summer said, trudging into the house after the others. 

“Good afternoon, Miss Summer,” Samuel said, and Remy giggled loudly.

“Where is everyone, Roman?” Patton questioned once they were all inside. “I want to introduce myself to your parents.”

“Probably in the ballroom,” Roman said.

Virgil had no idea how he could say that so casually. “You have a ballroom?” 

“Yeah,” Roman said. “Dad actually bought the houses next door so he could expand this place a bit. The ballroom is where I practice my dancing. This way.” 

The ballroom was filled with guests from the funeral; most of them were standing around talking, but a few were snacking on food from a buffet table in the middle of the room. 

A projector had been set up and was bringing up a slideshow of photos of Aurora on the wall, something Virgil noticed Roman was refusing to look at. 

After a minute or two of awkwardly standing around, they all started to separate. Summer dragged Henry over to the food table, Logan and Patton went to go find Roman’s father while Mandy called her son over as soon as she spotted him.

“I’m going to go and talk to Samuel,” Remy said cheerfully.

“I better make sure he doesn’t get himself into trouble,” Elliot said to Virgil as Remy snuck off. “Did you want to come or are you going to stay?” 

“Nah, you go on,” Virgil said. “I need some fresh air.”

“Okay.”

That hadn’t been a lie; Virgil didn’t do well in large groups and he needed some space for a little bit. 

Virgil walked around the massive house for what felt like forever; luckily he found a door that led to the backyard before he became too claustrophobic. 

He stepped out onto the porch, leaning against the railing and taking a deep breath as he stared out at the seemingly endless yard.

Worry for Roman was growing deep in the pit of his stomach, and he tried to shove it aside to no avail.

He didn’t like Roman’s parents, he didn’t like the way that Roman acted around them, he knew the feeling all to well. No matter what Roman did or said, his parents were destroying him, and Virgil was terrified that they’d damage him beyond repair. 

“What am I going to do?” Virgil muttered. “How can I help Roman?”

“I don’t think you’re going to find the answer by talking to the grass.”

Virgil jumped at the voice and turned around, so wrapped up in his mind he had been that he hadn’t noticed the teenage boy sitting on a lounge chair, a lit cigarette between his lips.

Had he just run right by him in his panic? How humiliating. 

“Uh, sorry, I didn’t know anybody was out here,” Virgil said. 

“Obviously.” The teenager saw the way that Virgil was eyeing the cigarette. “You want one?”

“No-I-Smoking is bad for you,” Virgil informed him.

“So I’ve heard.”

“It’s just-“ Virgil said. “It’s a high cause of death, you know?”

He didn’t mean to be a bother, but the smell of cigarette smoke always did something to him; it reminded him of his parents and how they had always breathed it in his face. He couldn’t say this to the boy, of course, so he’d decided on a different approach.

“Something has to kill us eventually,” the teen said, but he seemed to notice how nervous Virgil was and he put the cigarette out. 

 _That was nice of him,_ Virgil thought.

And it had been, not many people would take a stranger's feelings into consideration.

“Thank you,” Virgil said quietly.

“Don’t sweat it.” The teen sat back and examined him. “I see you haven’t changed a bit, Sanders.” 

Virgil wasn’t sure he had heard that right. “How do-” he broke off, studying the teenager closely, and then it clicked. “Andrew,” he whispered. 

He hadn’t seen his childhood bully since the day that they had gone to his house; Andrew’s father had punched Roman, kicked Jack and been arrested, so it hadn’t exactly been a pleasant day.

Andrew, his mother and his brother had moved away immediately after his parents had divorced and aside from when Roman spoke about him, Virgil had forgotten all about him.

He looked different, older obviously, and he spoke with a strong English accent now. Most notable though was his body language; he was much more relaxed than he’d been as a child, as if he wasn’t constantly seeking out a fight. 

“Give the man a prize,” Andrew said. “I was wondering how long it’d take.”

“What are you doing-” Virgil caught himself again. “Right.. Sorry,” he said and Andrew snorted. “I mean it,” Virgil pressed. “I’m sorry about your grandmother.”

“Yeah,” Andrew said. “I’m alright, though. It’s Roman who would be suffering the worst, he got along with her best.”

“He is,” Virgil said, taking the seat across from Andrew. “But he was bad before that, too. He’s been going downhill ever since he got back from England. What happened over there?”

Andrew shrugged. “Nothing, really,” he said. “Rohan and Mandy snapped at him a lot but that’s nothing new.”

That was what Virgil had been afraid of. “He doesn’t think they’re doing anything wrong.”

“Of course he doesn’t,” Andrew said. “I never thought my dad was doing anything wrong, and I can bet that you didn’t think your dad was doing anything wrong either, did you?”

Ah, so Andrew had learned the truth about Virgil; hopefully he had never said anything to Roman. 

“Honestly, until I got out of there, I thought I deserved it,” Virgil admitted. He still did sometimes, but Emile was helping him work through that.

“Roman probably reckons the same,” Andrew said. “But he’ll be alright.”

“How can you be sure?”

“He has you,” Andrew pointed out. “You two always had something special. I don’t know what it is, maybe you don’t even know, but you’ve got something between the both of you that a lot of people don’t.”

“I’m not sure it’s enough to save him,” Virgil said.

“I don’t know what to tell you, man.” Andrew sighed, taking another cigarette out of his pocket. “I’m no good at this shit. All I know is that he didn’t shut up about how much he missed you when he was in England.”

“Really?” Virgil was shocked to hear that; he would have thought that Roman was glad to get a break away from him.

“Yeah,” Andrew said. “You guys will work it out, you always do.”

“Thanks,” Virgil said, getting to his feet. “I hope you’re right.”

He started to head back toward the house when Andrew called him back; he returned to find Andrew offering a one hundred bill. “What’s this?”

“For your book,” Andrew said softly. “The one I destroyed.”

Virgil blinked at him. “Andrew, you don’t have to.”

“Yes, I do,” Andrew insisted. “I was a real asshole back then, and I know this doesn’t make up for it but it’s a start, I hope. I’m sorry for what I did, there is really no excuse for how I behaved.” 

“I forgive you,” Virgil said. He understood the guilt that Andrew would be feeling, and he wasn’t angry with him. He hadn’t been for a long time. “Thanks for your apology, but I can’t take your money. I have a new copy now anyway.”

“Then go and buy Roman something,” Andrew said. “Get him a cheeseburger maybe, he needs it. I’m not taking no for an answer,” he added before Virgil could answer.

He shoved the money into Virgil’s hand. “Thank you,” Virgil whispered. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Andrew replied. “Don’t go getting all soft on me, Sanders.”

He pulled his lighter out of his pocket, and Virgil knew that the conversation was over. He left Andrew to his thoughts, went back into the ballroom, and was surprised to see Logan and Roman in a conversation with Jimmy, Joyce, and her new husband.

It seemed that a lot of people were making amends this afternoon.

 

* * *

 

After eating more food than was probably acceptable at a funeral, or for a twelve-year-old girl, or just in general, Summer found a quiet corner in the room to sit down and opened her bag, pulling out a sketchbook.

It wasn’t just any sketchbook; it had once belonged to her mother, Eira. Eira had been an artist and the lover of the outdoors, not unlike Summer herself, and had collected a multitude of sketchbooks. A number of them hadn’t been completely filled in so Henry had given them all to Summer, and she made sure to have at least one of them with her at all times.

Summer liked to watch people, she liked to draw them and photograph them, she liked to capture them in moments that weren’t posed or faked. She admired the fragility of humanity, it was broken and beautiful, and a funeral was a perfect opportunity to capture it. 

She drew everyone around her, the pencil working rapidly as she looked between the art and the subjects, but she stilled when she reached Roman. 

She wasn’t stupid. She knew he was unwell, her dad wouldn’t stop bringing it up, but now that she was truly studying him, she could see how sick he was.

It scared her. Roman had always been like a brother to her, and seeing him in such obvious pain was difficult to deal with. She wanted to help him, but she knew he wouldn’t accept it and she didn’t know what she could do anyway.

“What are you doing?”

“Drawing,” Summer said, not looking away from Roman as Virgil sat down beside her. 

“You draw?” he said, sounding surprised. “Me, too.”

“Really? I didn’t know that,” Summer said.

“I’ve never really told anybody,” Virgil said. “It’s more of a hobby anyway. It’s a good way to take my mind off things.”

Summer nodded. “It helps me to understand my thoughts,” she replied. “Do you wanna see?”

“If you feel like sharing,” Virgil said.

Summer passed him the sketchbook without another word; she never had any issue with sharing her drawings, her art ability being the one thing she was confident in. 

Besides, it felt nice to have someone showing an interest in her. She didn’t have many friends at school, and her dad was often so busy with work that most times Summer was left on her own, so having somebody ask about her work made a nice change. 

“Wow, these are great,” Virgil said as he flipped through the book. “You’ve got real talent.”

“Thanks,” Summer said, her eyes still trained on Roman.

Something wasn’t right.

“How long have you been doing this?” Virgil said curiously. 

“As long as I can remember,” Summer said, rising to her feet. 

“It really shows that- Summer, what are you doing?” Virgil had finally realised that Summer was crouching like a tiger about to pounce.

“Virgil,” Summer said, her voice quite calm despite what she was seeing. “Look at Roman.”

Virgil did, just in time for the two of them to see Roman sway dangerously, his face drained of all colour. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and they watched in horror as he toppled over, Logan just managing to reach out and catch him seconds before he hit the ground.

 

 

  



	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Eating disorder, negative/self-deprecating thoughts, swearing, fainting, minor panic attack.

* * *

 

Henry had witnessed Roman’s collapse from across the room and was by Logan’s side within seconds. “What happened?” 

“I am not sure,” Logan said. “One moment he was fine and talking, and the next he went down.” 

“It’s lucky that you were here to catch him,” Henry said. “Take him to another room, away from all these people. I’ll go get some stuff from my car.”

As he left the room, Henry was distinctly aware of Summer and Patton trying to calm down a panicking Virgil while Rohan went around reassuring people that everything was fine, and there was no need to worry.

Henry couldn’t remember ever meeting a more selfish man, and he was fed up with it. Couldn’t Rohan see that his son was falling apart right in front of him?

Henry grabbed his medical bag from the trunk of his car, and hurried back inside. “Samuel, did you see where Logan went?” He asked the ashen-faced butler.

“The-The master’s office, Sir,” Samuel stammered. “It was the nearest room available.”

That gave Henry a reason to pause. A butler was never meant to lose their composure as far as Henry knew; at the very least, Samuel never did. “Samuel, are you okay?”

“Yes, Sir.” Samuel cleared his throat. “I will take you to the others. Right this way.”

Henry understood that Samuel was just concerned for Roman, the staff of the Prince household had a big hand in raising him, after all. He decided it was best not to mention Samuel’s little slip up to Rohan, the man would probably fire his butler for showing any form of emotion. 

Roman was conscious again when Henry walked into the office. The teen was sitting in an armchair, cradling a glass of water with a small group surrounding him. Virgil was there, hovering about nervously, and Remy was beside him, keeping Virgil steady. It was nice that Roman had such a caring group of people around, but it did make Henry’s job harder.

“I need everyone to move away a bit, please,” he said. They all parted, allowing Henry a clear path to Roman, and he kneeled down in front of the armchair, opening his bag. “Roman, I’m just going to do a few little tests, okay? Check your blood pressure, make sure you don’t have a concussion.” 

“I’m okay,” Roman said. “I didn’t hit my head or anything.”

“All the same I would feel better if you’d let me look it over,” Henry said.

“You heard the boy, Henry,” Rohan snapped. “Leave him alone, he’s fine.”

Henry took a deep breath, willing himself not to punch Rohan in the face again. “I’m sorry, but who is the doctor here?” He said, stroking his chin in mock thought. “Oh! That’s right, it’s me. It’s not you, it’s not your incredibly malnourished son, it’s me. So do us all a favour, okay? Sit down, shut the hell up and let me do what you won’t by taking care of your kid, you ignorant motherfucker.” 

Rohan stared at him, his jaw clenched, and Henry was sure he was going to hit him, but he just nodded tersely and sat down. 

Henry took a penlight out of his bag, and shone in Roman’s eyes, instructing to follow the light. After running a few more tests and determining that Roman did not have a concussion, he checked his blood pressure, encouraging Roman to drink the water once he had finished. “Your blood pressure is low,” he said. “It was probably the cause of your fainting, but I think it would be best to go to a hospital.”

“What? No, please,” Roman shook his head. “I feel better now.”

“I understand that, but-”

“He said no,” Rohan interjected. “What part of that don’t you get?”

“Do you not understand the severity of the situation here?” Henry snapped. “Roman needs help.”

“Not from you,” Rohan said. “You’re not his father, I am!”

“Then maybe you should start acting like it! He needs a hospital!”

“You don’t know-”

“Stop!” Roman said angrily. “Just stop it, both of you! I’m not going to a hospital, I don’t care what you say. You can’t make me.”

“What if he stayed with us,” Patton piped up, stepping in between Rohan and Henry. “That way we can keep an eye on him, and he won’t have to go to the hospital.”

“Why does he have to go anywhere?” Rohan said.

“Since when do you care what he does, anyway?” Virgil growled.

Roman jumped to his feet, his glass of water sloshing over the ground. “Enough!” he yelled. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here! Shouldn’t this be my choice? It should-” he stumbled a little bit, pressing his hand to his face. “I don’t-I don’t feel-”

“Sit down,” Henry said, gently pushing Roman back into the chair. “Don’t work yourself up.”

Roman placed his head in his hands. “I want to stay with Virgil’s family,” he said to his dad. “Just for a little while, so I’m not a burden on you.”

Rohan folded his arms, looking down at his son. “Fine,” he said. “Do what you want, but first I have something for you,” he said. 

He walked over to the desk and opened a drawer, taking out a large gold box. “What’s this?” Roman asked as his father handed the box over.

“Your grandmother left it for you in her will,” Rohan said. “I don’t know what’s in it.”

“Oh,” Roman said. “I-I-Why are you giving me this?” he tried to pass the box back but Rohan wouldn’t accept it. “I don’t-I don’t want it-Don’t-”

“Don’t be childish,” Rohan said. “It’s only taking up space in my office if you don’t get rid of it. Now all of you need to leave. I have a party to get back to.”

_A party?_

His son had just fainted, they had buried his mother earlier that day, and he was worried about a _party?_

Henry was very seriously debating whether the risk of jail would be worth the reward of destroying Roman’s father, when Virgil moved forward and held out a hand towards Roman. 

“Let’s go, Princey,” he said. “We’ll pack your stuff. Do you think you can stand?”

Roman gave a tiny nod of his head, tucked the box under one arm and tightly clasped Virgil’s outstretched hand in his own.

 

* * *

 

Virgil didn’t let go of Roman’s hand until they reached his room. 

“I’ve never seen Uncle Henry so mad,” he said, trying to ease the tension in some way. “Aunt Megan will be proud.”

Roman didn’t smile. He went over to his wardrobe and placed the gold box very carefully inside. 

“Are you sure you should do that?” Virgil said. “Who knows when you’ll be back, you might want it. Aren’t you curious to know what’s inside it?”

“No.” Roman said. “I’m not.”

He turned his back on Virgil then, and started packing some spare clothes into a bag; there was only so much he had at Virgil’s house.

Without his friend facing him, Virgil was able to let out the breath he had been holding in since Roman had regained consciousness. He had been so scared, he had even thought for the tiniest, most terrifying moment that Roman had died.

That was something that Virgil refused to dwell on. 

He distracted himself by looking around Roman’s room, which was smaller than Virgil would have thought from a house this size. And despite the tasteful interior decorating, it was obvious from the lack of any real personal items that Roman rarely spent any time in his own room. 

His eyes continued to travel around the room until his attention was caught by a tall mirror in the corner, and after checking that Roman was still preoccupied, he approached it. It wasn’t so much its size that piqued his interest, though it was impressively large. It was the sticky notes covering the mirror from floor to ceiling that caught his eye. The brightly colored paper covered every inch of the mirror’s surface, save for a small, clear space just large enough to see your face in if you stood directly in front of it. 

His eyes swept over the notes, which all had something written on them in Roman’s swoopy handwriting, and each one made Virgil feel more sick than the last. 

_You are fat. Lose weight!!_

_You are selfish._

_You are childish. Grow up!!_

_You will never be good enough._

_You aren’t trying hard enough._

_You are worthless. No one loves you._

_You have no purpose._ _  
_

_You don’t matter. You never have. You never will._

Note after note after note, all of them demeaning and full of hate. 

“Roman,” Virgil said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. “What is this?”

Roman glanced over at him, blushing when he saw what Virgil was looking at. “Oh. You weren’t supposed to see that.”

Virgil pointed with a shaky hand at the mirror, a lump forming in the base of his throat. “What is this, Roman?” he repeated, more forcefully. “What the _fuck_ is this?” 

Roman approached him slowly, his arms raised as though he were trying to calm a wounded animal. 

“Virgil, it’s okay.”

“This- This is not okay!” Virgil shook his head repeatedly. “No, no, no- This is- What the fuck, Roman? What are you doing to yourself?” 

“Virgil-”

“You idiot! You idiot! You idiot!” Virgil hadn’t realised he had started to cry until he felt the tears cascading down his face. “What are you doing?!” 

“It’s okay,” Roman said soothingly.

“No!” Virgil shouted. “Stop lying to me! You don’t know- I thought- I was so scared, Roman,” he sobbed. “I thought I lost you- and-and-now-this, this is, this-”

Roman hugged him, and Virgil collapsed into the embrace, his entire body shaking. There was an irony to the situation, some part of Virgil realised, because even though Roman had been the one who fainted, Virgil was now the one in need of comfort. 

“I’m sorry, Stormcloud,” Roman murmured in Virgil’s ear. “I’m so sorry I scared you. I’ll try harder, okay? I’ll be good enough, I won’t disappoint you again.”

Virgil shook his head, burying his face deeper in Roman’s chest. 

“I don’t need you to be good enough, Roman. I need you to be _okay._ ”

“I’ll be okay, Virgil. I promise,” Roman said, and Virgil wanted to believe him. 

He wanted Roman to wake up, to realize that he needed help and that he didn’t need to do everything by himself. He wanted Roman to stop _hurting_ himself. But despite Roman’s promises, Virgil didn’t quite believe that Roman would do that. Not if he stayed here, anyway.

Maybe, if he could get away from his parents for awhile...if he was surrounded by people who would love him and show how much they cared, he’d finally come to his senses. Virgil hoped so. 

They were running out of options. 

 

* * *

 

Roman let himself collapse onto Virgil’s bed the moment he set foot inside the Sanders house, and almost instantly, he was asleep. When he woke up, there was sunlight streaming through the window and Virgil was nowhere in sight. Roman wandered downstairs and was greeted by the sight of Patton sitting on the couch watching the Office bloopers, a cup of coffee in hand. 

Patton smiled when he saw Roman enter the room. “Good morning, kiddo,” he said, muting the television. “Did you sleep okay?” 

Roman nodded. “Where is everyone?” he asked.

“Logan’s at work, Thomas is at daycare, and Virgil is at school,” Patton explained. “I have the day off work so I’m just watching some shows. Care to join me?”

“Wait- School?” Roman glanced at the clock and discovered to his horror that it was after eleven. “Why didn’t you wake me?!”

“You were sound asleep, Roman,” Patton said. “Nobody wanted to disturb you.”

“But shouldn't I go?” Roman said. “I’ve already missed a day.”

“It’s okay to miss another,” Patton said gently. “You had such a big day yesterday that everyone agreed you needed a rest.”

Everyone agreed, huh? Nobody ever thought to ask Roman what he wanted; he was getting pretty sick of people telling him what he should be doing.

“Are you okay?” Patton was watching him and Roman realised he mustn’t have been hiding his frustration very well.

“Yeah, it’s just-“ Roman paused, thinking of the best way to describe his thoughts. “School is a good distraction.”

“Maybe...” Patton started, indicating for Roman to sit next to him which Roman did. “Maybe, you don’t need a distraction, maybe you need to talk.”

“Talk? Talk about what?” Roman said. 

“Whatever is bothering you,” Patton said. “Or about how you’re feeling.”

“I feel annoyed that everyone keeps thinking that something is bothering me,” Roman snapped. “I’m fine! I would also appreciate if it people would let _me_ decide if I go to school or not. It’s not up to you, it’s up to me!” 

Roman’s face grew hot instantly as he realized what he’d accidentally said. “I’m sorry,” he added quietly after a moment of silence. “That was disrespectful of me.”

Hopefully Patton wouldn’t be too mad, Roman had no desire to find out what the consequences would be if he kept being so rude. Patton might even forbid him from seeing Virgil. 

“It’s okay, Roman,” Patton said. “I’m sorry if I pushed you. I just, I care about you a lot. You’re family to us, and we love you, so if you ever need to talk about anything, we’re here for you, okay?”

“I know,” Roman said, “but I’m fine. Honestly.”

“Sure you are,” Patton smiled weakly, and Roman knew he didn’t believe him.

Roman didn’t blame him; he had fainted the day before so it made sense that Patton was concerned. Thankfully, Patton didn’t say anymore about it and went back to watching the television. 

Roman took that as an opportunity to leave the room and went upstairs to get dressed. He spent the rest of the morning lounging around the house, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t settle.

Eventually Patton switched off the television and grabbed his car keys, ushering Roman over to the front door. “Come on,” he said.

“Where are we going?” Roman asked.

“To the hospital.”

Roman stopped in his tracks. “Hos-Hospital?” he stuttered. “I don’t need the hospital. I said I’m fine! Don’t-I don’t want to go there. Please, I’ll- I’ll be good- You can’t make me-“

“Roman, no,” Patton said, placing his hand on Roman’s shoulder and squeezing it gently. “I wasn’t suggesting that. I just thought you might want to go and visit Megan.”

“Megan?” Roman said blankly. His brain felt foggy; Megan...Megan? Who on earth was-? “Oh!” Roman gasped. “Of course, yeah! Yeah, I want to see Megan.”

There was genuine concern in Patton’s eyes, which Roman chose to ignore as he brushed past him and bounded out to the car. “Come on, Mr. Patton.” He said excitedly, trying to act as though that short run hadn’t taken up every ounce of his energy. “Lady Megan awaits us!”

  



	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Eating disorder, swearing, food mention, alcohol mention, hospitals/injury detail, death mention, negative thoughts.

* * *

 

Roman spent the car ride over to the hospital zoned out, ignoring Patton’s worried glances and laying his forehead against the cool glass of the backseat window. At some point, he must have dozed off, because he awoke to Patton gently shaking his shoulder. He blinked, rubbing his eyes and slapping at his cheeks to wake himself up, then forced himself to put a pep in his step as he and Patton walked into the hospital lobby and asked for Megan’s room number. 

Now, Roman was no stranger to hospitals. He’d been in and out of them plenty of times over the years, visiting his grandad, his gran, even Virgil once, years ago. The point being, he shouldn’t have been nearly as unsettled as he was, standing in the door of Megan’s room. But there was just something about the sight of Megan, strong, sassy, unshakable Megan, lying motionless in bed with her leg wrapped in a cast, arm done up in a sling, and head wrapped in bandages that kept him from entering. 

“Roman? Are you okay?” Patton asked, and Roman took a deep breath. 

“Of course I am,” he said. “It’s just…”

“Oh heavens, they’ve sent the prince to my chambers? I really must be dying then. Tell my lawyer I leave everything to Cosmo!” 

A smile spread across Roman’s face, and he carefully stepped into the room. Megan was grinning up at him from her pile of bandages, and Roman found himself slipping into character despite himself. 

“Alas, Lady Megan, it is true!” he lamented. “The kingdom shall know that you died with glory!” 

“Nothing glorious about this,” Megan scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I feel like a child’s mummy costume with all this stuff on.” 

“Halloween isn’t too far off,” Patton chuckled. “Maybe you can save some money on a costume.”

“Please, like I want a reminder of this mess once I get out of here,” Megan sighed. 

“So does this mean you _don’t_ want me to get the number of that cute nurse you were telling me about?” Patton teased. 

“Okay, I take it back,” Megan said with a laugh. “Vanessa’s number will be the _only_ reminder I want of this mess if I ever get out of here.” 

Roman snickered, and Megan raised an eyebrow at him. 

“What? I’m trying to make the best of this here.” 

“Sorry,” Roman said, still grinning. “I just…” he looked down, suddenly embarrassed. “I missed you,” he said quietly. “I don’t think I realized how much until just now, but...yeah. I missed you.”

“Aww, the prince does care about his subjects!” Megan grinned, but then her smile softened. “Enough about me though, how are you doing? Are you okay?” 

“I’m _fine!_ ” Roman snapped, and Megan blinked. 

“Okay, not gonna lie, that was a bit defensive for someone who really is _fine_.” 

“Sorry,” Roman said shortly. “I’m just...tired of having to say it.”

Megan exchanged glances with Patton, and Roman frowned, hugging his arms around himself. 

“I was thinking of getting a sandwich from the cafeteria,” Patton said suddenly. “Roman, do you want anything?” 

Roman shook his head, and Patton nodded. 

“Alright, if you’re sure kiddo. I’ll be right back.” 

He slipped out of the room, and Megan sighed. 

“Okay Prince, spill it.” 

“Huh?” 

Megan shifted in her bed, then sighed again. 

“Just know if I could properly move right now, I’d be crossing my arms at you.”

“Um, okay?” 

“Roman. Something’s clearly going on, and maybe you’re tired of people asking you about it, but I have literally _no_ context for why you’re acting like the whole universe is out to get you.”

Roman grimaced, sinking into a chair that sat beside her bed. 

“I’m not so sure it’s not,” he admitted quietly. 

“Go on then, talk to me,” Megan encouraged. “I’m all ears.”

“It’s...it’s just one bad thing after another, that’s all. I mean, it started with this _stupid_ ballet thing…”

“What’s so stupid about it? You got the lead, that’s great!” 

“Tell that to the other kids,” Roman grumbled. “All they’ve done since I’ve gotten the part is given me shit for it. And yeah, that sucks, but that alone I could deal with. But I’ve been working my butt off to prove that I’m good enough to do this and no one seems to _get_ that, and all anyone seems to do is fret over me and ask me if I’m alright, and I’m _sick_ of it. And then you got hurt, and then my gran…” He took a breath, cringing inwardly at the way it caught in his throat. “It’s...just been a lot,” he admitted. 

“I was so sorry to hear about Aurora,” Megan said, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “I wish I could have come to the funeral...she was a very special lady.”

“Yeah,” Roman said thickly. “She was.” 

“If I might be a bit frank though?” Megan continued, and Roman looked up at her. “Do you think she’d be happy with you right now?” 

“I- what?” 

“You’re hurt. You’re grieving. I understand that, trust me, I do. I’ve been there myself. And do you know what got me through it?” 

Roman shook his head, and Megan smiled softly. 

“The people closest to me. Not my parents, and certainly not my sister. But the people in my life who _truly_ cared about me, my _real_ family. They helped me, even when I didn’t want anything to do with them. Even when I felt like they were smothering me, and all I did was push them away. They never abandoned me. Do you see what I’m getting at?” 

Roman looked away, folding his arms tighter across his chest, and Megan sighed. 

“Look. I’m not gonna tell you what to do. You’re a big boy, and you can make your own decisions. But you’ve got a lot of people around you who care about you a whole lot, Roman Prince. And pushing them away is only going to make things harder for you.” 

“I guess so,” Roman said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

“Just remember, it’s okay to ask your real family for help. If not for your sake...then for your gran’s, who I _know_ wouldn’t want to see you suffering all by yourself. Okay?”

“Okay. I’ll...I’ll think about it,” Roman conceded, just as Patton stepped back into the room, carrying a tray from the cafeteria. 

“I know you said you didn’t want anything, Roman, but I brought you a bowl of soup just in case you changed your mind.”

Roman eyed the tray warily, ignoring the way his stomach churned at the sight of the food and forced a smile onto his face. 

“Thanks, Mr. Patton.” 

He picked up the bowl of soup, and as Patton and Megan fell into easy conversation with each other, he lifted the spoon to his lips. But even the small swallow of soup made his insides flip in rebellion, and he spent the rest of the visit pretending to take little sips of the meal. After he’d pretended for long enough, he excused himself to the restroom and poured the rest of the soup into the toilet, grimacing at the way the broth mixed with the water. 

_It’s fine,_ he told himself as he watched the remains of the soup swirl away down the drain. 

_I’m fine._

 

* * *

 

Roman spent the drive home deep in thought about what Megan had said. He had to admit, if anyone understood how Roman felt, it was probably Megan. She had been close friends with Aurora, and her car accident had claimed her work partner’s life, so it’d be unfair of him to say she didn’t know what he was going through. He figured he could at least attempt to take what she had said into consideration. He didn’t necessarily have to like it or agree with it, but he could at least try and have a little more patience with his friends. 

He just hoped he’d be able to keep his cool if the world decided to throw yet more bullshit at him.

The car pulled into the Sanders’ driveway, and Roman sighed in relief. School hours were up, so thankfully Virgil would be home. 

“Did you have a nice afternoon?” Patton asked as he brought the car to a stop. “It was good to see Megan, wasn’t it?”

Roman nodded. “Thanks for taking me,” he said. 

Patton flashed him a smile and started to get out of the car, but Roman reached out and grabbed his arm before he could leave. 

“Roman? Are you okay?” 

“Yes, I-I just wanted to apologize,” Roman blushed, withdrawing his hand and scratching the back of his neck. 

“For what?” Patton frowned, concern etched on his face. 

“To you and Logan,” Roman said. “You shouldn’t have to deal with me and my problems. I mean, I’m just Virgil’s friend, I shouldn’t be staying here and bothering your family.”

“Roman,” Patton said softly, “you _are_ family. We love having you here, and you’re welcome to stay anytime you need. You’re as much our son as Virgil and Thomas are, and I wish you could see that.” 

“Thank you,” Roman said, touched. “Just...let me know when I’m being too much trouble.”

“You are no trouble at all,” Patton insisted. 

“My parents wouldn’t agree with you,” Roman muttered. “They were quite eager to get rid of me, weren’t they?”

Patton’s eyes went wide, and Roman knew instantly that he shouldn’t have said that. It was not a fair statement, his parents were grieving their loss, Roman had to respect that and him hanging around the house wouldn’t help matters.

”Forget I said that,” he said before Patton could respond. “They’re good, I’m just being ungrateful.” 

“It’s okay to be mad with them,” Patton said gently. “That doesn’t make you a bad son. You can still love someone _and_ feel upset with them.” 

“I know,” Roman said quietly, “but I’m fine.” 

“Okay,” Patton sighed, and he finally exited the car. 

As they walked up to the house, Roman noticed Remy’s car parked next to Logan’s, and he stifled a groan. He and Remy had been getting along better lately, but that didn’t mean he was in the mood to deal with him right this second.

Once inside, Patton went off in search of Logan and Thomas, so Roman wandered upstairs into Virgil’s bedroom, only to find Remy sitting side by side with Virgil on the bed. 

“Greetings,” Roman said, and Jack bolted over to him, his entire body wiggling. 

Virgil’s eyes were glued to something he was reading on his phone, and he barely glanced up to wave at Roman; Remy on the other hand all but jumped off the bed.

"Roman! Light of my life, please tell me you have no plans tomorrow night!” Remy cried, much to the shock of Roman. 

“I-What?”

“He wants a favour from you,” Virgil sighed.

_Ah, that made more sense._

“A favour?” Roman asked, raising an eyebrow. “What kind of a favour?” 

Something in his brain told him that fulfilling a request of Remy’s would not end well. 

“It’s hardly a favour when it could turn out to be the greatest night of your life,” Remy argued. “Really, I’d be helping you and your social life.” 

“What is he talking about?” Roman said to Virgil who sighed again and put his phone down.

“There’s a party tomorrow,” he said. “His parents won’t let him go if he doesn’t have somebody he knows there.”

“So you don’t even know whose party it is?” Roman snorted, and Remy shrugged.

“She’s a senior, her name is Tamara- or Tiara- or Jessica- who cares? A party is a party and her parents won’t be there,” Remy said. 

“Why don’t you just go then?” Roman said with a shrug. “Just sneak out or something.”

Remy gasped. “Who do you take me for?” he said. “My parents may have raised a caffeine-addicted, self-sufficient queen but they didn’t raise a disrespectful one. I would never go behind their backs like that.”

“What about Virgil?” Roman knew it was a pointless question; Virgil hated parties.

"Virgil is being a bore, and I need _someone_ to go with me, be a prince, won’t you Roman?” Remy begged.

“Oh, so I’m your rebound guy?” Roman folded his arms. 

"Actually, Virgil was my rebound guy, you’re my rebound rebound guy,” Remy said. “Elliot said no.”

Roman snorted; Remy had such a way with words. “Is there going to be alcohol?”

“Alcohol? At an unsupervised teenage party?” Remy said sarcastically. “Obviously.” 

Virgil frowned. “You don’t have to drink it though,” he pointed out.

“It’s the only way I’ll be able to handle him,” Roman said with a nod at Remy. 

“That sounds like a yes,” Remy said. 

“It is,” Roman said. “I’m in.”

“Roman,” Virgil said carefully. “You don’t have to, you know, it’s fine if you’re not up to it.” 

Roman felt irritation bubble up in his stomach, but he tried to push it away. 

_Remember what Megan said,_ he thought to himself. _He’s only trying to help._  

He smiled, and struck what he hoped was a confident pose. 

“I appreciate your concern, dear Virgil, but I am more than capable of conquering whatever beast of a party Remy can throw at me.”

“See, _that’s_ what I like to hear!” Remy cried, raising a hand up for a high five, which Roman hit while maintaining eye contact with Virgil. 

“Okay dude, if you say so,” Virgil said, looking back to his phone. 

“I do say so,” Roman insisted, holding his head up high. And why shouldn’t he? It was just Remy, and it was just a party. He’d be fine. 

Everything was fine. 

* * *

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your support! I'm sorry if I don't reply to every comment, but I promise that I read them all, and I appreciate it.
> 
> I cannot wait for you guys to read the next chapter.....


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